Sunday, December 30, 2018

Concert Review: Steve Cardenas at Black Dolphin












The band dropped out as Matt Otto took a solo on a bracing version of Ornette Coleman’s “Congeniality” at Black Dolphin on Thursday.  The saxophonist’s statement was so enthralling that even an offensively inattentive person at the bar fell silent.  Otto’s incandescent statement was the standout moment of the 80-minute opening set of an ensemble led by the New York based guitarist Steve Cardenas.  He was accompanied by Otto, trumpeter Dave Scott, bassist Ben Leifer and drummer Marty Morrison.  A full house of about 100 attended the free show.  Otto’s solo was the most blatantly adventurous outburst of the set, but Cardenas’ thoughtful solos intimated similarly knotty concepts. Video snippets of the show were captured by Joe Dimino and Plastic Sax.

Setlist: Spring (Matt Otto), Congeniality (Ornette Coleman), Song For Janie (Dave Scott, title uncertain), Subconscious-Lee (Lee Konitz), New Moon (Steve Cardenas), Rhythm-a-Ning (Thelonious Monk).

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

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