Jazzerwocky had a decent sized crowd of about 50 people enjoying some jazz music and poetry at Whispers, Oct. 22.
Gordon Leigh and the Naked Ear with the Scott Davidson Trio played some jazz music while Jay Gamble and Richard Stevenson read poetry.
This was one of the coolest events of the year. I arrived at the end of a set from Gordon Leigh and the Naked Ear. And while I don’t listen to a lot of jazz, I was digging it.
Leigh alternated between French Horn and trumpet, while reciting poetic lyrics, in between riffs.
The drummer held a steady beat while the bassist grooved and the percussionist’s hands were a blur, rapping on djembe, bongos and chimes, adding to the atmosphere of the music.
Richard Stevenson, who has written books and numerous poems inspired by Miles Davis, sounded amazing, backed by the band. Stevenson, wearing a black T-shirt with miles Davis’ face emblazoned on it, stood hunched over the microphone reading his poems, while the band added horns, percussion and a beautifully simple bass groove setting the rhythm.
Stevenson read poems and told stories about Davis, like how much his minimalist style was influenced by boxers like Sugar Ray Robinson while the band played selections from throughout Davis’s career including some weirder material from the ’70s, which Leigh played a key-tar set on keyboard stand.
It was ear and mind blowing watching these cats groove and improvise together listening to this crazy poetry, while the band played in the pocket.
