The Outlaws
Although the solo breaks packed more cliches than a Super Bowl news conference, Thomasson and Chris Anderson (a guitarist who joined the Outlaws in the 1980s) delivered every familiar note with such gusto that by the end of each run much of the crowd was on its feet and air-guitaring.
The Outlaws' greatest period piece was saved for last. Before kicking into the epic "Green Grass and High Tides," Thomasson promised "the long version," meaning the original rendition on the Outlaws' debut album, which clocked in at 9 minutes 47 seconds, just wasn't long enough. For Outlaws fans, it wasn't.
-- Dave McKenna
Sisters in Jazz Collegiate All-Stars
It seemed almost redundant when the Sisters in Jazz Collegiate All-Stars performed "Firm Roots" at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage on Thursday evening. After all, before the sextet got around to playing the Cedar Walton tune, it already had demonstrated its familiarity with the music of Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Freddie Hubbard. Winners of an annual international competition, the young women proved well versed in swing, blues and variations of bop throughout the hour-long performance. In addition to flutist Delandria Mills and bassist Maeve Royce, who have ties to the Baltimore area, the group boasts alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin, trumpeter Jacquelyn Coleman, pianist Carmen Staaf and drummer Hanne Pulli.
Under the guidance of veteran drummer Sylvia Cuenca, the musicians formed a surprisingly cohesive ensemble. The tunes allowed for a variety of moods, ranging from the loping blues of Hancock's "Drifting" to a vibrant take on Hubbard's "Red Clay," and though most of the pieces were vintage, they were revived with well-wrought solos and crisp ensemble work. At one point Cuenca sat in for Pulli, adding plenty of propulsive thrust to "Firm Roots," but even then the spotlight was on her gifted proteges. The front line was particularly impressive when introducing or restating the themes with colorful weaves. An original ballad, composed by Pulli and featuring pianist Staaf's lyrical touch, sustained a lovely interlude. Sponsored by the International Association for Jazz Education, the performance was presented in conjunction with the Kennedy Center's Mary Lou Williams in Jazz Festival, which concludes tonight.
-- Mike Joyce
Jarboe and Renee Nelson
The ordinarily dreary Nation was decorated like a high school gymnasium on Thursday night for the annual Alchemy-sponsored Goth Prom, with streamers stretched across the room and a carpet of balloons on the floor. Amid this cheesy decor -- and the inevitable popping of balloons -- former Swans vocalist Jarboe and keyboardist Renee Nelson flew through a brief but passionate 45-minute set.
Jarboe looked like a Goth version of Cher, with long black hair draping over a flowing sheer dress that provocatively swished around her vinyl panties. But her scanty attire wasn't the only thing that commanded attention: Her nearly operatic voice swelled through the room as she belted out Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home" over a simple keyboard-and-strings arrangement. She projected passion without melodrama, capturing a range of emotions from melancholy to anger as she repeated the phrase "I try to remember everything that's lost" (from "Seizure").
