 
Bob Hurst and the Detroiters at Kerrytown Concert
House
BY LARS BJORN
Former
Detroiter Robert Hurst celebrated the Detroit jazz tradition with
some of his mentors on January 19th. Trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, tenorist
Donald Walden, and drummer Bert Myrick were the invited veterans; pianist
Rick Roe is a contemporary of Hurst's. It was a joyous celebration
and the packed house was very enthusiastic.
Both sets started out with Hurst's "Meditations
on Martin," which featured his expert bowing on the bass. Hurst is
a bassist and composer of impeccable taste and musicianship. It is no
wonder that he stays busy in the studios of Southern California. Particularly
in the second set, there were some inspiring dialogues between Belgrave
and Walden during the tribute to MLK. The dialogue turned into collective
improvisation when Hurst joined in. Belgrave was in magnificent form throughout
the evening, showing off his well-rounded tone and imaginative ideas.
On "Nutty," one of the evening's several Monk songs, he
showed how exciting a solo can be even when it largely consists of variations
on the melody. Walden's tenor was burning on some of the bluesier
numbers and Roe was simply stellar on the Monk songs. Hurst and Myrick
worked wonderfully together creating a comfortable cushion for the soloists.
This was an evening that left this reviewer confident
about the vitality of mainstream modern jazz.
Above: Robert Hurst (bass), Donald Walden (tenor
sax) at the Kerrytown Concert House
photographs by Lars Bjorn
I N - T H I S - I S S U E :
1. ROBERT
HURST 2. GONZALO RUBALCABA
3. RUDY ROBINSON 4. MARK
DRESSER / CARLO ACTIS DATO
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