Jazz | Music | Arts & Culture | Ninth Square | Firehouse 12
A string of cymbals reverberated through Firehouse 12, spreading a euphoric haze over the room. It began with a crescendo, rising softly into a boom! Beneath them, drums tap-tapped like raindrops and thunder during a heavy storm. The audience may have been inside, but suddenly the air was alive and electric.
The vibe was casual. No dress shoes, no suits, no fussy garb. That shouldn’t have fooled anybody: this was a trek through musical genres with jazz as a consummate and seasoned tour guide.
Last Friday, The Dan Weiss Trio brought that musical magic to Firehouse 12, as the Crown Street venue kicked off its 2023 Jazz Series with Weiss on drums, Thomas Morgan on bass and Jacob Sacks on piano. To four full rows of intimate seating, the trio took the audience on a journey through the history of music and of jazz, letting genres melt into each other before the end of the night.
From the beginning of the night to the final applause of the evening, rhythms collided with and crossed each other like high-speed internet wires. There were echoes of hip-hop’s boom-bap, the high intensity of rock, the thump of techno—no machines or synthesizers necessary—and the ethereal spirit of non-Western music, particularly sounds from South and East Asia that permeated the set. All of them inserted themselves into the ear and soul. As they did, the audience’s imagination brought out images of dancers in elaborate costumes dancing, vivid enough that it almost seemed that they might appear.
For Weiss, who is now based in New York, that eclectic approach makes sense. He is influenced by “everything,” including his years traveling out of the country, he said Friday. His inspirations range from traditional Indian music to classical to rock, including Led Zeppelin. But it’s jazz, the spirit of which gripped him when he heard Max Roach for the first time, that has always stuck with him, and come before the rest.
“You listen to a few chords, and you get bitten,” he said. “I had a teacher who gave me some records” and the rest was history. In addition to Roach, he listed John Coltrane and Elvin Jones as prominent influencers of his.
As Weiss played, Morgan joined in on bass in a testimony to love. It was as if he had been carving sound: the audience could hear his labor in real time, and see it too. His fingers half-closed around the instrument, his heart likely wide open. No matter the tune, he seldom looked up.
In front of him, soaking in the sound, listeners benefitted from each stroke. It was all about timing: as he played, Morgan knew instinctively when to start and stop, creating a sense of drama and melancholy while lifting the audience up. It would not have surprised anyone, it seemed, if those half-closed fingers took their position upon a single note. Later, as he spoke fondly of performances at the Village Vanguard, that affection for and relationship withthe instrument was palpable.
Alongside them, Sacks allowed his keys to “talk” to the polyrhythms released from the bass and drum set. No note was wasted. Each one was on time, be it minute or enormous.
Was this music? Was it martial arts? There was Weiss’ calculated, eyes-closed hand movement alternating between hand and stick, the build-up and release of melodic tension. To it, Sacks folded in light piano keys, and Morgan a sharp focus on strings. By the end of the night—and for most of it—the audience was spellbound.
If you are looking for mediocrity, stay home. But if you are looking for excellence, come to 45 Crown St. in New Haven. Rhythms are at large and fire is escaping from the hands and souls of each musician.
To learn more about Firehouse 12's 2023 Jazz Series, click here. Image courtesy of the Dan Weiss Trio.