Wishful Thinking

I have been indifferent to a number of Jazz shows because of the interminable solos. Marie Goudy's recital convinced me that a compositional approach was more my style. On Sunday, I was at Gallery 345 for a recital of ("codified" as the host said) compositions inspired by Jazz. It turns out that didn't work for me either.

None of it was the fault of Decus Duo with Katya Khatso on piano and Lucia Barcari on violin. They did an admirable job of playing these pieces. The show was book-ended by 2 compositions that were "too square". Claude Bolling's Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano may have been innovative for its time but nowadays it simply doesn't swing. The first 2 sections and last movement had an enjoyable movie feel, but strictly jazz lite. I kept thinking of the theme to the film La La Land. But the middle 3 just sounded ersatz. As for Fur Elize Jazz (Fazil Say), its idea of jazz being a sort of 30s oompa loompa dixie reminded me of the instrumental "A Fifth of Disco" in Saturday Night Fever.

But there were some highlights. Piazzolla's Histoire Du Tango was wonderful. Its Argentian influences were clear, yet blended beautifully with classical European techniques. The only downside was that after the final movement that aimed to showcase "today's tango", I wondered what a follow-up might sound like. Given that this piece was written in 1986, how has tango changed in the last 30 years?