Kirk Whalum - The Gospel According To Jazz Chapter II

Wednesday 1st September 2004
Kirk Whalum - The Gospel According To Jazz Chapter II
Kirk Whalum - The Gospel According To Jazz Chapter II
DVD

STYLE: Jazz
RATING 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 9582-DVD6
LABEL: Squint WD986233
FORMAT: DVD Music video
RRP: £17.99

Reviewed by Phil Thomson

I was tempted to deceive you with the classification here. This should be prefixed as "worship" - such is the sheer creativity, musicianship and depth of feeling on display in this DVD of an outstanding concert project recorded in 2002 at West Angeles Cathedral, Los Angeles. Perfectly titled, it truly is good news delivered with confidence and focussed entirely on Jesus. This is a spiritual experience as well as rich entertainment. Kirk Whalum takes his saxophone to heights barely dreamed of in his Whitney Houston years. His reassuring musical presence is everywhere - one minute dancing with Latin fire through singer Tata Vega's mischievous vocals in "El Todopoderosa", the next, oozing quiet charm duetting with his guitarist son Kyle on "Seasons" - Kyle's own contribution to the project. It's an impressive line-up of been-there-done-that talent, with an "ex" before your name as the norm eg, Tyrone Dickerson (Ex-Elton John), Kirk's keyboard/organist and long-time co-writer; Paul Jackson Jnr (ex-Michael Jackson) on guitar. The credits are important here - George Duke is commanding on piano, Michael Manson's electric and upright bass practically talk to you on their own and it is all wonderfully underpinned by Sean McCurly on drums and the playful interference of percussionist Luis Conte. Each track fills you up as the concert builds. You might think it takes stamina to sit through a concert "on the box" but you simply do not notice the time passing. You can take your pick from any number of high points in the show, but of particular note is the guest appearance of South African Jonathan Butler for the Whalum/Dickerson meditative instrumental "Thy Kingdom Come" - which segues into a memorable performance of "Falling In Love With Jesus" - think Donny Hathaway accompanied by David Sanborn. Visually, there is the usual cutting from close-up fretwork to close-up appreciative audience, perhaps a tear here and there - but thankfully, there is no trickery. The camera is respectful of what is on offer. One minor negative - there isn't much depth to the DVD extras, though the package does let us in on a Kirk Whalum interview, behind-the-scenes material, band member profiles, the crew and the cause. Nor is there any over-wrought virtuosity from the players, just wonderfully woven musical breaks in pure celebration of the reason they have all come together. By the time the choir kick in at the end of the set with a breathtaking rendition of "Do Not Pass Me By" with all the musicians vying (respectfully) for attention, you know you are in the presence of artistry to the glory of God. I can't wait for chapter three.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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