Photographs by Laal Shams and Hank Shteamer.
After stopping by the TONY office last week for a live duo performance, cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum and conga player Abraham Gomez-Delgado brought their eclectic, well-oiled ten-piece ensemble, Positive Catastrophe, to Jazz Gallery on Friday. The early set had a loose vibe, heavy on the loopy between-tune banter and ad-libbed arrangements—it was an excellent showcase for the band’s singular blend of the festive and the avant-garde.
Read on for a quick recap and more pics!
Celebrating the new Garabatos Volume One, PosCat offered infectious readings of several of the record’s tunes, including the lush, intensely kinetic avant-Latin-jazz gem “Plena Organization.” Bynum was a blur of activity throughout the show, inciting spontaneous rearrangements and other stimulating tangents by scribbling on a handheld whiteboard. The latter strategy was a clear nod to the on-the-fly orchestration favored by Bynum’s mentor, Anthony Braxton, so it was fitting that the set closed with a cover of Braxton’s manic post-Sousa march, “Opus 58″ (found here). Among the soloists, guest altoist Jim Hobbs (above, visiting from Boston) was a clear standout; his rough-edged, highly vocallike sound was a perfect match for the punchy arrangements. And brass players Bynum (who used his fedora as a mute), Reut Regev and Mark Taylor added brilliant daubs of instrumental color, summoning an array of smeared tones. Drummer Tomas Fujiwara held the band together with a brisk pulse that tilted at times into a righteous bottom-heavy funk groove. Vocalist Jen Shyu, impressive throughout on the erhu, offered silky lead vocals on a moving ballad by absent saxist Matt Bauder.
Below (top to bottom): Mark Taylor, Jen Shyu, Reut Regev, Taylor Ho Bynum’s whiteboard and assorted implements:
