There was something exclusive that night. It was not just the “by invitation launch” of the album 3, but it was the near telepathic connection between the trio onstage. Stories were woven and formed before eager eyes. As if this was not enough, the soundtrack was simultaneously birthed as the tales take the listeners to a different world.
The storytellers were not just any storytellers, though. These men are not just virtuosos for the sake of the word. Having Johnny Alegre on guitar, Mar Dizon on drums and Colby de la Calzada on bass on one stage was reason enough for any serious listener to endure the heavy downpour that Saturday evening for a generous dose of serious fun. But hearing them interpret Alegre’s material (and some covers) from his album 3 is another.
It is easy to play familiar material and solicit audience response – nostalgia and jazz surely go well together. Yet to play new songs and remain undaunted with the aim of reaching out is never an easy task. Reach out, they do – effortlessly.
Tight is an understatement in describing the trio. Kurt Rosenwinkle has his cap, Marcus Miller his hat, Johnny Alegre comes in his bonnet and his Epiphone hollowbody – exuding a presence of authority but never intimidating. As he speaks of his journeys – specifically as he recorded the album in New York with Ron Mclure and Billy Hart- he was educating without being academic.
The opener “Offering” (track number 2 of the album) started like a bullet train ending in a ‘headed out’ manner, in Johnny’s jazzspeak. The guitar trio, or any trio at that - is a terrifying place to be in. With one holding the low end, another driving the rhythm, the idea of playing melody and harmony at the same time with no one comping behind makes any average musician cringe. Yet, Alegre, de la Calzada and Dizon were literally playing every song, and playing with it. Colby’s bass provided anchor while Mar was over, around, in and out of the songs. They sounded huge, with just three instruments extending different roles. Surely, the sum proved greater than all of the parts. One remarkable thing was though the album recorded with different personnel, the trio felt no pressure to reproduce the album vibe. There was more excitement in injecting fresh voice into the songs.
The songs from the album were perfect vehicles for each member to stretch out. Johnny was switching between traditional hollowbody tone and an overdriven one. He assumes both chordal, counterpoint and solo roles behind a solid backbone. John Mclaughlin’s Mahavishnu fury one moment and Pat Metheny-esque fluidity on the other, Alegre seems to draw melodies from a shaman’s seamless bag.
Colby de la Calzada had a generous share of melodic chores. On one number, as Alegre plays over ringing chords and Dizon propels, Calzada cues the moment as a departure point and unleashes a flurry of notes, and turns to quote Weather Report’s BIRDLAND mid-solo. When he is not the featured soloist, he faithfully outlines the tunes. As he takes forefront, dexterity and mondo technique is hard to overlook.
The man behind the kit, Mar Dizon swings, wickedly, if you may. Inventive yet always true to the pulse, Dizon conjures polyrhythms and subdivisions that make you stop counting along and just watch, listen and enjoy. He made the set composed of a single tom and dual snares sound so huge that it held the other instruments together. A chance to ‘rock and rhythm’ (as Johnny coined, perhaps alluding to the DZRJ days) came with the original cut, JAZZHOUND (from the Stones of Intramuros CD). Here, Dizon gives the rock arena drummers a run for their own money with solid, half-open-hat groove.
The repertoire from the 3 album, included From Long Ago, UP101, Offering, Ant/Man and Barnabas among others. Jazzhound (from the CD Stones of Intramuros) was also included. After some prodding from the eager Bacolod crowd, the trio launched into Metheny’s Bright Size Life. Some covers included a Luis Bonfa song (which title remains elusive as of writing), and Billy Cobham’s Stratus (from the album Spectrum) which closed their 1 hour and a half set.
Alegre eagerly shared his experiences from being mistaken for a Brazilian, to the inspiration behind Ant/Man (national artist Carlos P. Romulo’s poem). He was a perfect antithesis to the mercurial-introverted- coolness-stereotypes common among artists and axe-slingers, proving that beyond the technique and fretboard gymnastics, the story remains the king.
The whole show was made possible by the efforts of the Jazz Society of Negros Occidental.
~Bitoi Tiano
For photos of the launch:
http://bcosco.multiply.com/photos/album/254/Johnny_Alegre_3
