Carlos Cannon

Close Up 2, Chicago,IL
April 25th & 26th, 2008

Carlos Cannon

Story and Photos by James Walker

One never knows what to expect when reviewing an unknown group as was the instance when this writer visited Close Up 2, popular smooth jazz club in the Financial District on April 25th. What a pleasant surprise to find this smooth jazz saxophonist and his tightly knit group of ace bandmates captivating the standing room only crowd with their solid array of contemporary jazz. Although Carlos Cannon held court at Close Up 2 on previous occasions, for whatever reason, this writer seemed to always miss him. Chicago has an abundance of sax players, with many being exceptional performers. Carlos Cannon demonstrated on this weekend that he belongs in the same picture with Skinny Williams, Ray Silkman, Audley Reid, James Perkins and other fine sax players. He's just that good.

Not only does he master both the alto and soprano, he's the consummate entertainer. He's a crowd pleaser and the ladies just go wild when he plays(the sax is still considered a sexy instrument). Carlos moves through this tight club serenading the crowd as he expertly did on Earl Garner's "Misty" and "Sweet Love." On both these numbers, he stunned this attentive crowd with long holds of notes which resulted in rousing ovation from the audience.On "Misty," the hold was done from the top which made the intro into the melody quiet unique. Cannon was complemented on this number by the soft tickling of the 88s by "JT" Taylor. He masterfully brought this number to a climax. This was perhaps one of the most scintillating single pieces of smooth jazz this writer has witnessed in several months. Carols seems to be in a "zone" as has his horn "talking loud and saying a lot".

By no means is Cannon a "one man band." Although he's unquestionably the star, this band is full of exceptional musicians; all capable of holding their own with Chicago's best. James "JT" Taylor is keyboardist and lead vocalist with a silky smooth voice, Robert Burks plays lead guitar reminiscent of Carlos Santana and Jimi Hendricks, bassist Bill Wesley is cool, but produces deep bass tones on the electric and drummer Jason Grant held down the beat all night long.

The set began with keyboardist Taylor uniquely introducing the classic "Summertime" in a unfamiliar "classical mode." As the crowd attentively watched this introduction, pondering where he was going with this number, Taylor lead a stirring solo that was followed by extended solos from Cannon, Burks and drummer Grant. It became crystal clear from the top that this was a special group of young men who had been playing together for quite a while.

Taylor demonstrated his smooth vocals on Donnie Hathway's "Singing a Song for You". This was a piece that this writer hadn't heard covered before, and Taylor did it with skill. Guitarist Burks distinguished himself on this song with Hendrix-like chords. This was simply a beautiful ballad.

Drummer Jason Grant's highlight came on Earth Wind and Fire's "Can't Hide Love." He demonstrated rapid fire quick hands with some banging, and imaginative improvising. Of course, Cannon also got a "piece of the action" on this number. "JT"added nice vocals to make it complete.

Bassman Wesley had his moments also. On Bill Withers "Aint no Sunshine," he could be seen "plucking" and "spanking" his instrument to the delight of the crowd. He also distinguished himself on Grover Washington's classic "Mr. Magic." What's a saxophone-led smooth jazz set without at least one of Grover's tunes. This number was introduced by Wesley with an extended solo.

This wonderful evening of music was brought to an end with Cannonball Adderley's "Mercy Mercy Mercy." Carlos was again masterful on this number, holding notes for long periods of time. What a musician and entertainer!!!. Cannon even made playing "Happy Birthday" an exciting adventure. Before concluding his set, he brought all patrons with April birthdays to the stage and took time for a very special birhtday sernade. He even gave each a CD. What a class act.

If one is looking for an exciting evening of smooth jazz, by all means look up Carlos Cannon at: Carloscannon.com. And as always, great jazz can be seen Wednesday through Saturday at Close Up 2. For details, refer to their website at: closeup2jazz.com.