Jazzed-Up Trio Welcomes Everyone to the Party
Chris Manson April 8, 2004 Issue

If Cheryl Jones’ solo dates at Harbor Docks allow her to “stretch out” as she told me last October, then the Monday night appearances by her jazz trio at Funky Blues Shack enable Jones and her fellow musicians to splash their colorful sounds on an even broader musical canvas. Her husband Denny is a dominant force on bass guitar, and drummer Brent Purcell keeps the beat lively. Longtime fans know these guys are from Jones and Company. And while guitarist Al Alvarado isn’t part of the new configuration, Jones is confident he will start dropping in to play with the trio soon.

Actually, the “Cheryl Jones Jazz Trio” is a misnomer. There were five people fighting for space on the intimate stage, thanks to guest trumpeter Paul Scurto and Diki Ross on trombone. Jones, playing several instruments and singing her head off, always remains focused and clearly enjoys herself.

The Isley Brothers’ Living for the Love of You was laid back and smooth in a good way, with notable trumpet contributions from Scurto. Jones’ keyboard styling recalls the work of Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock, both of whom she repeatedly cites as major influences. Jones picked up a classical guitar and gave Duke Ellington’s classic Take the “A” Train a bossa nova flavor. A swinging instrumental followed, giving way to masterful solos by everyone in the band.

“I have a request for one of Cheryl’s originals,” Scurto said. Jones complied by singing her pretty You’re In Love, after which Scurto asked the receptive crowd, “Shouldn’t that be number one all around the country?” Somebody in the room shouted out “Nice voice!” and Jones thought they said Maiden Voyage, so they played the Herbie Hancock standard.

The rest of the band took a break while Cheryl performed “a song of praise” during her percussion showcase. She demonstrated her impeccable skill on the steel drums during Sonny Rollins’ great St. Thomas. While I found myself slipping away into visions of a Windjammer cruise, the band decided not to sit this one out. Before the song was over, Denny and Purcell were back on stage.

“I was in New Orleans and I heard this remix by Celia Cruz, but it had a Latin beat,” Jones said, introducing the next crowd pleaser. “The overall vibe was pretty cool.” A hip spin on I Will Survive followed—the rendition was almost completely removed from its disco origins, but the song’s powerful message remained intact.

Diki Ross arrived with his trombone, officially making this unit a quintet—at least for tonight. A sprightly instrumental included everything from zydeco touches to kazoo playing by Jones. Kazoo? “Somebody probably gave it to her and she said, ‘What can I do with this?’” Denny speculated.

The exhilarating Mama Don’t Allow No Music Up in Here revealed a childlike quality in Jones’ vocalizing—miraculously, she does this without slipping into caricature. This was the kind of number that usually precedes the band taking a break. But, no, Jones went right into one of her favorite songs by Joni Mitchell, Both Sides Now. Detroit native Jones prefaced the song with a story about making snow angels as a child.

The Underground Railroad, another original, was a highlight of the evening. Jones explained that the composition was about “a legacy of love.” In the song’s melody, “you can hear the sounds of many footsteps of all colors,” she said. Scurto knocked everyone out with his trumpet playing on Miles Davis’ All Blues, after which Jones unleashed some fine “scat” singing on the original Summer Days.

Jones brought out a kalimba—the thumb piano popularized by Earth,Wind & Fire’s Maurice White—for her song Sugar Cane Man. They played Birdland (or was it Lullaby of Birdland?) with so much intensity the band effectively turned it into a new song. “I guess I should do a blues song,” Jones said, offering what she called “a happy blues”—Z.Z. Hill’s Down Home Blues. An impromptu 12-bar about a misplaced lottery ticket got some well-deserved laughs.

Then it was time for a couple of popular favorites, Hank Williams’ Jambalaya (On the Bayou) and James Brown’s Cold Sweat. Jones closed the evening with the most soulful rendition of I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together I can recall hearing—that’s the song Carol Burnett used to sing at the end of her television show.

“We’ve played together so long and so many nights, I kind of know where the energy is going,” Purcell said. “You’re involved in playing, but also listening. You have to tune in to what everyone else is doing—you never know where Cheryl’s gonna go.” The drummer also appears in the Latin jazz “all-star” group Tjader. “This room is smaller, but it has a cool vibe. People are attentive. Even if you’re sitting in the back, you can feel it.”

The jazz trio format allows Purcell and Mr. and Mrs. Jones to “invite people and take risks,” Denny said. “We can play more of the older artists like Billie Holiday and Miles Davis, which is kind of hard to play for the spring breakers.”

As the band started packing their equipment to the background delights of the Atlantic Soul Classics CD—one of my all-time favorites—Denny added, “You can never play too much good music. Any time you have an opportunity to play, you take it.”

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