Revolutionary Snake Ensemble
with Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews
Concerts in the Courtyard Series
at the Museum of Fine Arts
Boston, MA
August 25, 2004
August 25th was a beautiful summer night for a concert in the Museum of Fine Arts' Calderwood Courtyard. Had the performance been indoors, however, the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble would have brought down the house. With their colorful costumes and brassy, in-your-face musical attitude that more than conjures up the sights and sounds of New Orleans during Mardi Gras, this group puts on a musical spectacular that simply must be heard to be believed. Led by Ken Field on alto saxophone, and joined by the 18-year-old trombone phenomenon Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews of New Orleans, the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble rocked the Courtyard for nearly two hours and left the audience wanting more.
The ensemble approached the stage with the traditional hymn "Just a Closer Walk with Thee." Except for the costumes, their style of entry was akin to that of a New Orleans funeral procession; the only items missing were black suits and a casket. The dirge-like feel was immediately abandoned once the band reached the stage and segued into a crowd-pleasing performance of John Scofield's "Some Nerve." The sound generated by the Ensemble is always cohesive, whether obtained by featuring a soloist or improvising simultaneously. Each member of the Ensemble possesses the remarkable ability to tie what he is doing improvisationally with what his fellow band members are doing, which creates an incredibly thick musical texture yet always makes perfect musical sense. The players - Kimon Kirk on acoustic bass, Phil Neighbors and Eric Paull on percussion, Aaron Bellamy on electric bass, Jon Fraser on trumpet, Andrew Hickman on tenor saxophone, Lennie Peterson on trombone, and Field - move effortlessly between solo and ensemble playing, clearly enjoying themselves all the while.
Sun Ra's "A Call For All Demons" proved that the Ensemble is at home playing funk as it is emulating the best of the New Orleans jazz scene. Andrews and Peterson played off of one another in a duet that demonstrated just how cool the trombone can be, and while their sounds ranged from the brassy to the guttural, the musicality remained top-notch. On tenor saxophone, Hickman offered a range from the depths of hell (appropriate, given the title of the work) to the heights of heaven. He appeared comfortable in all parts of that range. Field took the first solo in "I Got It" before ceding the limelight to Andrews, who wowed the audience with his flutter tongueing, a technique that essentially involves constant flipping of the tongue while sustaining a note, creating a repetitive effect. It's no small feat, but it's one that Andrews achieves with apparent ease.
The highlight of the set was James Brown's "Soul Power," and this can be directly attributed to a section of group improvisation without the benefit of the rhythm section. With apologies to said rhythm section - which is outstanding in its own right - the aforementioned improvisation showcased the Ensemble's ability to maintain a tight sound while exploring intricate individual melodic lines. That said, the quintessential James Brown sound could not be successfully duplicated without a most impressive rhythm section, and Bellamy's work on electric bass is instrumental (pun entirely intended) in achieving this.
The set closed with Ornette Coleman's "Guadalupe" and the New Orleans standard "Liza Jane." A ballad kicked off the second set. The melancholy melody with a decidedly Latin feel gave Andrews the opportunity to show off his skills as a balladeer, which he did beautifully. His tone here was darker and more breathy than the clear, rich sounds evinced during the up-tempo works of the first set; Andrews' achievement of such contrast at such a young age is a testament to his musicianship.
The Ensemble's rendition of the campfire classic "Iko Iko" gave each player the chance to take the melody and make it his own via the skillful improvisation that is a trademark of every member of the group. The number ended in what can best be described as a free-for-all jam session: an example of ensemble playing at its best. The soloist moment of the evening came in a Sonny Rollins number that had Andrews holding a single note for well over a minute (presumably through the wonders of circular breathing). He managed to vary the tone of that one note several times during its minute, ending with one final blast of energy that had the audience applauding energetically. The performance closed with Karen Aqua's "The Parade of Numbers." Readers with children may recognize the work from its regular appearances on Sesame Street. While the work's primary venue is one inhabited by children, the work itself is a rhythmically challenging, melodically intricate and - as performed by the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble - entirely satisfying, as was the performance as a whole.