Gig review/ Kirk MacDonald - jazz

By Narendra Kusnur

Concert: Generations Quartet
Artistes: Kirk MacDonald, Virginia MacDonald
Genre: Jazz
Details: Experimental Theatre, NCPA, March 8
Rating: ****
Barring a few instances, one hasn’t seen the clarinet played much too often in a jazz show in Mumbai. While old-timers would have heard records of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and Jimmy Giuffre, one clarinettist one remembers watching live in the past two decades is the brilliant Eddie Daniels. More recently, Dallas Smith performed on flute and clarinet, but this blogger missed the gig.

Naturally, the combination of tenor saxophone and clarinet was the major attraction at Kirk MacDonald’s Generations Quartet show at NCPA’s Experimental Theatre on Sunday. With Canadian star MacDonald on saxophone and his 25-year-old daughter Virginia on clarinet, the mood was just right for a fabulous evening.

With the experienced Neil Swainson on double bass and the effervescent Morgan Childs on drums, the quartet played a mix of MacDonald-composed originals and popular old tunes. As a dedication to their tour of India, which also covered New Delhi, Jaipur and Pune, they chose to play saxophone legend John Coltrane’s ‘India’, which had in its original recording featured Eric Dolphy on bass clarinet.

The Coltrane influence was evident both in MacDonald's playing and composition style. Beginning with his original ‘Eleven’, the band moved on to the standard ‘The End Of A Love Affair’. While MacDonald displayed a warm tone and immaculate phrasing, Virginia showed wonderful control and improvisation.

A highlight was ‘Silent Voices’, an original dedicated to departed souls who have continued to influence us. A solemn drum beat was followed by simultaneous playing of the saxophone and clarinet, followed by a bass solo till the sax returned. After this beautifully rendered piece came the uptempo ‘You See What You Don't Hear’, a tongue-in-cheek take on those who watch music rather than listen to it.

Post-interval, MacDonald began with the standard ‘On Green Dolphin Street’. With its sheer energy and flexibility, ‘The Power Of Four’ saw remarkable contributions from all four members. The mellower ‘Shadows’ provided a contrast.

The quartet has been playing regularly for the past four or five years, and the understanding and coordination of the musicians was perfect, as they constantly gave room for each other. They were aided by flawless sound, and a knowledgeable audience which seemed involved with every nuance. And this is something one finds at more intimate venues like Experimental.