SMOOTH GROOVIN' IN THE RAIN
by Ryan T. Scott, Insight News
September 22 - 28, 2008; MN Metro Vol. 33 No. 37

A bit of advice: Take out a pen, grab a 2009 calendar, and circle early September. Do this as a reminder to not miss the 2009 Selby Avenue Jazzfest. It is fitting that those who braved last Saturday's cool, rainy, fall weather were blessed with one of the greatest line-ups in local jazzfest history. It seemed as though the rain subsided each time one of the stellar acts graced the stage.

The Selby Avenue Jazzfest opened with Dick & Jane’s Big Brass Band and Patricia Lacy-Aiken who stirred souls as she always does. She was backed by the Walker West Urban Legends of Jazz. Together, they made the perfect statement.

Following the opening acts, the captivating Danish-born Mikhala (pronounced Me-Kuh-Lah) and her group Mikhalized, offered fresh, jazzy selections that included ‘What a Difference a Day Makes’.

The organizers of the Selby Avenue Jazzfest, including founder Mychael Wright, should be heavily praised for their caring attention to nuance, which resulted in the most comfortable, yet tantalizing, Jazzfest presentation that the Twin Cities has had in a long while. The result was a strong point of pride that the neighbors of St. Paul can profess is a perfect depiction of why the city is so loved.

Following Mikhalized, jazz powerhouse Wenso Ashby with his sultry lead vocalist Zsame, provided the perfect center point to what could be considered a complete statement of what jazz, and a jazzfest, is and should be. Wenso Ashby & Zsame convey love and enjoyment, and their performance represented the high-point of attendance for the day.

No sooner than Ashby retired from the state, the rain came and cleared out those who thought the show could not get any better. Or perhaps they were just plain old full of the culinary jazz proved by vendors such as West Indies Soul, with their iconic spicy beef pies, and Deep Roots Gourmet with their perfect presentation of sweet potato pie and mango cobbler. I’m not sure about the names of the handful of barbeque vendors, but what I do know is that I didn’t need any sauce, or teeth, to eat the succulent ribs and chicken.

For a brief period of time, all in attendance stood still in a trance while being carried away on a wave of ultimate cool, the source of which was bass guitarist Yohannes Tona. I’ll put it like this: if Tona had performed at the recent Republican National Convention in St. Paul, then we would still have Republicans here, and they would be submitting absentee ballots for Barack Obama.

The young are respected, when they first offer respect to their elders. On the heels of the performance by young Yohannes Tona, jazz legend Irv Williams was celebrated by received an award commemorating his musical career and dedication to the Twin Cities community. Naturally a gifted musical performer would be remiss to get on-stage and not give of their gift. Besides conveying a rich sense of love and ability for his craft, Williams made you think about going on a search at an authentic record store for some of his former creations.

Rain continued, but the perfect compliment to rain is a group named Salsa del Soul. Something sunny and fun is what was needed to keep the party going, and that is exactly what they delivered. The John Raymond project followed Salsa del Soul, and their classic style matched perfectly with the cool, rainy weather. Unfortunately for them the only thing missing was a sofa and some dry clothes so their calm musical stroll could be enjoyed properly.

But at this point, if you were in it, you were “in it to win it,” and fortunately the headliner and grand finale came next. I was wondering why headliner Jason “Malletman” Taylor received a standing ovation upon his sparkling introduction. What I found out was that the crowd was just getting warmed up for what they would be doing for the next half hour.

If you didn’t know for sure that there exists a person on Earth who can turn a xylophone into an ultra-dynamic instrument of provocative stimulation…well, now you know. I have no idea why anyone even sat down during his performance. Whether a slow pulsating groove, or a throbbing melodic earthquake, the effect was nothing less than dancing in the streets by children, great-grandmothers, and everyone in between. As if Malletman’s band members were not incredible enough, the situation got down right ridiculous when internationally-renown trumpet player Solomon J. Parham weaved another layer, and level, of authentic musical genius into the evening’s final heaping of jazz brilliance. Whew! Grab some ribs, go home, and tell all your friends what they missed.

And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, your calendar is already circles for next year. Juneteenth, Rondo Days, and the Selby Avenue Jazzfest, our summertime triangle of powerful gatherings as a cohesive, inclusive community is now complete.