Promising Artists Share Blue Note’s Touring Spotlight

There they were, the four all-star members of the Blue Note New Directions tour, lined up side by side, representing, according to label president Bruce Lundvall, “the natural evolution of jazz for the new millennium.”

If so, it may be evolving in somewhat unfamiliar locations, since the stars--vibist Stefon Harris, alto saxophonist Greg Osby, tenor saxophonist Mark Shim and pianist Jason Moran--were on stage at a club called the Mint, not exactly a haven for jazz in the past. On this night, however, it was crowded with the youngish crowd that Blue Note clearly had in mind when the tour was planned, and the enthusiastic reception suggested that young jazz artists, given the right opportunity to reach their peers, are fully capable of engaging an audience raised on rock, rap and hip-hop.

Sticking closely to original tunes written by one or another of the players, the group devoted most of the set to showcasing individual soloing. The process was fascinating because the contrasting styles underscored the personal foundations supporting each player’s music.

Shim, a slender figure, played with a dark, reflective quality mirroring the sense of reserve that touched his physical presence. Osby, looking contained and efficient, spun out solos that were the product of an articulate intelligence, filled with busy notes and meticulously phrased melodies. Moran, whose Blue Note debut album won’t arrive until later this year, was tremendously vital, his still youthful, still developing playing resonating with sounds from Thelonious Monk, Cecil Taylor and McCoy Tyner.

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But the star among stars, not surprisingly, was Harris. At 25, he is already an influential artist in his own right, who is going to have an impact on players well beyond his own instrument. Equally important, and on full display at the Mint, was his capacity to draw his listeners into his improvisations by occasionally pausing in his solos, allowing the music to breathe and simultaneously creating a kind of improvisational sharing between audience and performer. It was the sheer essence of what all-stardom is really about.