Venue: Bar Next Door (NY)
Date: February 10, 2014

Review by Dawoud Kringle

On a winter night The Multi Organic Trio appeared at the Bar Next Door, a quiet out of the way place in the village. The Multi-Organic Trio is comprised of Nora McCarthy (vocals), Aruan Ortiz (keyboard), Ratzo Harris (bass), and Jorge Sylvester (sax)

Nora McCarthy (photo courtesy of Nora McCarthy )

They began with an original, McCarthy taking a scat vocal. Her sound was smooth, and very low key. There were no pyrotechnic chops here, just a deliberate and easy rendering of the song.

They continued with an Ornette Coleman‘s “The Blessing” song, for which McCarthy had written lyrics. Here, she displayed more vocal skills in a more fitting setting.

Jorge Sylvester joined them on saxophone. They did “April in Paris.” A pattern led by the sax emerged, over which McCarthy did a spoken word. The song proper grew out of this. The band explored this song in an almost free manner. At times the song’s structure was more implied than anything. But it ended on point.

They continued with an original: “A Study in Compassion.” The sax and vocals began with a unison line that was joined by the bass, while the keys made comments and agreements. As the song unfolded, they picked up a jazz rhythm (which the walking bass line was responsible for). This occasionally drifted into a free, almost uncentered, exploration until the walking bass drew them back to the character of the song.

They continued with a Scott LaFaro song called “”Gloria’s Step”” The vocals and sax locked in unison while the keys and bass offered a very solid jazz support. This was, so far, the most straight type jazz song they’d done, and had the most definable groove.

Next was McCoy Tyner’s “Passion Dance” song, for which McCarthy had written also the three choruses of lyrics. A Latin jazz groove propelled an intricate vocal line. This glided into a thick and lively dance. Again the groove asserted itself as the driving force of the song. McCarthy took a vocal solo that effortlessly explored the contours of the song. The sax gave a joyful testimony. Then, the song took some strange twists and turns before returning to itself. The keyboard so was very creative and confident.

McCarthy is a vocalist of the old school: one who has plenty of skill, yet feels no real need to show off. She exudes a quiet confidence and mastery of everything she does. Ortiz’ style was smooth, using a vintage Rhodes sound. He easily brought out the essence of the songs. Harris was particularly skilled and inventive in a delightfully unpredictable way. He went form one marvelous thing to another without ever repeating himself. His playing exuded a pronounced confidence in a way that was aggressive without being at all arrogant or overbearing. It was interesting how he and Ortiz interacted together, this especially in the absence of a drummer. Both men implied drum parts in an almost subliminal manner without actually playing the parts. Sylvester sounded like that “old guard” of jazz musicians who’d honed their chops on and developed his style in the free jazz world without severing their ties with the standards.

All in all, Multi-Organic is a fine ensemble. One whose music carries great artistic and musical accomplishment and meaning.