Heard Warms Up Jazz on Jay

Review: The band Heard’s dance-y globe-spinning world-jazz went straight to the feet of fans who formed an impromptu chorus line at Jazz on Jay Thursday.

Felix Nelson showed the way, physically; but all seven Heard musicians made melodies and beats that organized the energy.

Felix Nelson, left, with fan-dancers

When keyboardist-leader Elizabeth Woodbury Kasius ironically asked “Who thinks this is jazz?” the answer was complicated. It was certainly jazz since everybody improvised. Saxophonist Laura Andrea Leguia and Kasius ran chord changes in small-combo jazz style, most straightforwardly in Frank Foster’s “Simone,” their only standard tune Thursday. But it was also West African, Brazilian, and South African with imported melodies and lyrics that got the same ingenious, energetic explorations as “Simone.”

Heard, from left: Elizabeth Woodbury Kasius, keyboard, melodica and vocals; Felix Nelson, dancer, vocals and percussion; Laura Andrea Leguia, saxophones and vocals; Kweku Kwakye, percussion and vocals; Zorkie Nelson, percussion and vocals; Brian Melick, drums; Bobby Kendall, bass

Elizabeth Woodbury Kasius, keyboard foreground, with, from left: Felix Nelson, Kweku Kwakye, Brian Melick (behind Kasius), Laura Andrea Leguia and Bobby Kendall

Kasius later noted that every band is a rhythm section, and Heard proved that time and again, with Brian Melick, drum kit; Zorkie Nelson, mainly congas; Felix Nelson and Kweku Kwakye various shakers, and busy bassist Bobby Kendall.

Bobby Kendall

Kasius also said she’s learned over time to take Kendall’s advice on complex rhythms: Don’t count it out, just play it. This gave the music a happy sense of free expression; you know: jazz.

“Market Song” started as beats, a groove that surged strong from top to bottom – from a busy clatter of shakers and snare drum up high down to low electric bass runs. Over all that rhythm surfed a happy bustle of melody from Leguia’s soprano sax and Kasius’s melodica. Then Kasius shifted to keyboard and added her voice to those of Zorkie and Felix Nelson across the stage alongside guest percussionist-singer Kweku Kwakye, all three Ghanian born.

Laura Andrea Leguia

Zorkie Nelson, left; and Felix Nelson

Kasius announced they’d jam “fusion-y” in the slower “Flyway,” but she didn’t announce Felix would jump out front to dance, an energizing surprise. Leguia shifted to tenor saxophone in the Latin-y “O Feche” as Kasius spun the globe to quote California funk-band War’s “Low Rider” in her melodica solo.

“Simone” got a midsummer-mellow ride, a tribute to Kasius’s late saxophonist friend/mentor Claire Daly who played Jazz on Jay some seasons ago. Zorkie Nelson’s talking drum break added west African flavor.

In the upbeat Ghanian “Gota,” Felix jumped out front to dance; and this time had no trouble recruiting fellow dancers in a line. Or COURSE Steve Nover was up there.

Brian Melick

Citing Abdullah Ibrahim’s inspiring show at The Egg last year, Kasius introduced the South African pianist’s “Maraba Blue” with echoes of slow funk and fractured waltz time that all added up to a jaunty reggae-like groove.

Fela Kuti’s similarly propulsive “Opposite People” was all centrifugal force in repeating cycles of solo and groove, Leguia’s tenor just spectacular in this episodic flight.

Swirls of Montreal snow inspired “Cotes des Nieges,” and its easy-flowing groove came decorated in swirls of soprano sax and keyboard. A nice subtle touch: The beat started out subdued, almost subliminal, but then grew in fun force.

Equally lighthearted but with more assertive riffing, the Brazilian “Coco Na Roda” cast the rhythm as the star; Melick’s drum kit and Zorkie Nelson’s congas going places together. The beat ruled also in “Happy Place,” Kasius adopting a kalimba-like percussive attack rather than the more sustained notes and chords she used elsewhere. Leguia’s soprano sax solo sparkled especially bright here, inventive and flowing fine. Four-part harmonies carried the melody when Leguia wasn’t lighting it up or Kasius’s melodica re-inventing it. Felix Nelson lit it up, too, springing high, legs spread and touching his toes.

His father Zorkie’s tender mother’s tribute “Mama Bukom” closed in audience-participation unanimity, Kasius bringing the crowd into a clapping chorus as Leguia’s tenor sculpted the melody until all the instruments went quiet and only voices and clapping hands made happy sounds.

Peter Hughes of WAMC

Before Heard started, WAMC’s On the Road producer Peter Hughes told the crowd they (and the band) were being recorded for later broadcast in the PBS station’s new remote presentation program. This seemed a busy engineering job for Nathan Schied with a forest of microphones onstage among a music-store’s worth of percussion instruments.

WAMC Engineer Nathan Schied, forground; and bassist Bobby Kendall

Jazz on Jay continues Thursday, Aug. 14 with the blues-jazz trio the Evidence.

Heard Song List

They changed things up, versus the printed-out lists onstage; a good sign as it meant the band was tuned in to the audience and delivering what worked.

Market Song

Flyway

O Feche

Simone

Gota

Maraba Blue

Opposite People

Cotes des Neiges

Coco Na Roda

Happy Place

Mama Bukom