Classic blues concert delivers soulful sound

Jason Gulley/Exponent Photographer FEELIN' BLUE: Blues musicians perform Friday night as part of the Saturday Night Fish Fry.

By Anna Herkamp
Senior Writer

Friday night, the Long Center for Performing Arts was filled with sounds of classic 1930's jazz and blues, as the Saturday Night Fish Fry delivered a sound not often heard in popular music today.

Shortly after 8 p.m., four black men — Russell Malone on guitar, Hank Marr on the B-3 Organ, Houston Person on tenor saxophone and Grady Tate on drums — walked onto the stage greeted by loud applause from the audience.

They gave only a short nod to the crowd before they began to play. There was no conductor or sheet music, just a nod or glance sufficed to bring all four musicians into the beat.

At the beginning of a song, all four instruments seemed to play equally into the arrangement, but eventually three of the musicians stepped aside so that one had the spotlight.

Person had the most solos; his microphone was at the front of the stage where he belted out melodies so smoothly and with such force that it drew the loudest applause from the crowd.

One of the things that set Friday night's performance apart from

most modern jazz concerts was the Hammond B-3 organ.

The organ, looking more like a piece of furniture out of someone's living room than an instrument in a jazz band, gave the concert a taste of music that resembled gospel.

The band played several songs, a handful originally written by Duke Ellington. Each of the Ellington pieces brought a serene sound to the concert and each musician seemed to feel the song more than play it.

"This is our kind of music," said Dave Lahr, audience member and resident of Lafayette. "This is the type of jazz we enjoy the most…1930's jazz. We grew up on that type of thing," he said.

At one point in the concert, Malone gave a solo. Guitar playing such as his is seldom heard, even by the best modern acoustic artists. Each note resonated as if played on a piano.

As a surprise to the audience, Tate demonstrated his skills as a vocalist, singing a slow, soulful ballad, while keeping time with the snare drum.

As the concert ended, the audience gave the Fish Fry a standing ovation. The four musicians walked back on stage to finish the evening with their rendition of the classic "Satin Doll."

 

Purdue Exponent 2002