Date: Saturday, January 11, 2013
Venue: Highline Ballroom (NY)

Review by Dawoud Kringle

The Highland Ballroom presented the Indelible Festival on Saturday, January 11, 2013. Not having been here for a while, I was taken aback at the addition of tables (which I imagine will need to be removed when the Cro-mags perform), waitresses, and food. the night was dedicated to Abby Lincoln, and featured tributes to Ruby Dee and Cecil Taylor.

DJ ?uestLove began the evening. He presented an interesting mix of beats, samples, etc. more like a “live painting” a la Alex Gray than a music performance. The thinly populated audience was, unfortunately, only moderately interested. An MC stood next to him, occasionally adding verbal encouragement, but generally contribution little of interest. Visuals consisted solely of projections of advertisements of upcoming shows at the Highline. It may have been a more compelling performance with better presentation; ?uestLove’s talent and ingenuity are obvious.

Guy Davis (Ruby Dee’s son). Came out and immediately captured the audience; which was beginning to grow. He began with an old Robert Johnson song. He is what can best be described as a blues purist. Unlike the dj’s introspection, Davis was extroverted and knew how to keep an audience’s attention. His repertoire was old blues standards. His harmonica playing is extraordinary, and all his songs were delightful.

George Cables was next. He played “Round Midnight.” A beautiful interpretation that modernized and extended Monk’s original without any significant breaks form the jazz tradition. Then, he was asked to do another song. He chose a breathtaking interpretation of “You Don’t Know What Love Is.”

Cecil Taylor came on next. His age and frailty didn’t seem to inhibit his confidence and capacity as a master musician. He began with a poem, accompanied by playing the strings of the piano like a harp. Then he sat down at the keys. Taylor’s approach is difficult on the uninitiated; yet all the complexities of what he does are clearly the result of infinite extensions of simply ideas. Many people believe his music is all atonal and dissonance. This is not true; there were a great deal of lyrical passages and consonant harmonies; which would evolve into fractal permeations on itself. This was pure music.Impossible to define or confine to genre or marketing demographic.

I was not able to stay for the Dust Rays, Meshell Ndegeocello and the Spirit Music Jamia, Ayo, and Gregorie Maret. Regrettable: I was primed for more great music! As I understand it, the Indelible Festival is a new venture by Julie Newman productions. We may expect great things from them in the future.