Kafele

Close Up 2, Chicago,IL
April 10-11, 2008

Maurice Brown

Kafele & Group

Kevin Nabors

Story and Photos by James Walker

This writer causally wondered into this popular South Loop Smooth Jazz Club to check out the sounds of young trumpeter Kafele and his array of bandmates over a two day period of time. On April 10th , Kafele was joined by a group of equally young musicians including Kai Alexander on keyboards, Stico Vondrake on electric bass, Makaya McCraven on drums and Fred Jackson on alto sax. Most of these young men have migrated to Chicago from other areas of the country in search of their dream to become a professional musician. Chicago is becoming mecca for talented musicians as more opportunities are opening up for these exceptional music makers. CU2 is a venue that continues to support talented jazz musicans and in the words of CU2's proprietor, Frank Goss, "this is the epicenter of contemporary jazz."

Most of the first night's music were originals from Kafele's CD entitled, "Prodigal Moon." Kafele, unlike most horn players, is very laid back but exudes with talent and imagination. He's never over the top and shares the stage with his band mates. In addition, he finds time to mix in vocals for the music that he has coined "Cool Fusion", poetic entanglement consisting of jazz and hip hop elements.

It was during the final set that the "bar was raised" with the guest appearance of saxophonist Kevin Nabors. Kevin is rapidly developing the reputation as one of Chicago's "Young Lions" and often is seen gigging with the likes of trumpeter Corey Wilkes and the varied artists that one might encounter at Fred Anderson's Velvet Lounge. Although he only sat in on a couple of numbers, his high octane solos brought a rousing ovation from this appreciative crowd.

It was during the April 11th set that really was exceptional as trumpeters Corey Wilkes and former Chicagoan Maurice Brown (dubbed "Double Trouble" by Jazzchicago.net), came into CU2 with horns a blazing. No, this writer isn't talking about the typical shootout that one might read about in Chicago,but the "reunion" of Corey and Maurice in Chicago for the first time since their triumphant set at the Velvet Lounge last August (see JazzChicago's review of August 6,2007), as they sat in with a gracious Kafele.

Without fanfare or announcement, Maurice calmly strolled directly to the bandstand , opened his case, and began showering the unexpected audience with his machine like efficiency, leaving some in a state of shock, with others wondering,who was this young man and where did he come from. "Mo" took advantage of this opportunity to unleash some penned up energy that was under control earlier in the evening as he performed with the 16 piece New Orleans Jazz Orchestra at Symphony Center. Not to be outdone, the other half of "double trouble," Corey Wilkes, finally followed Mo front and center to display his patented rapid fire flourishes with his signature bold attack on each note. And if that wasn't enough, Kevin Nabors again found his way to the stage to "get a piece of the action." Kevin didn't disappoint either, as he zoned in with the golden tone of his bopping tenor sax. This jam session was completed with the fluid appearance of flutist Charlie Elliott.

Being party to this exciting set was like having a delicious dessert comped after a gourmet dinner.It was unexpected and outstanding. That's part of the charm of this quaint smooth jazz club. One never knows who might pop in on any given night to either jam with the band or just enjoy the music. On this evening, the audience was afforded the experience of not only some of Chicago's finest, but two world class trumpet player who last year were recognized by "DownBeat" magazine as two of the most outstanding young trumpet players in the world.

Also, be sure to mark your calender for CU2's second annual smooth jazz festival June 20-22, 2008 at the corner of VanBuren and State Streets in Chicago. Trumpeter Corey Wilkes premiers his first Cd and headlines the first night. World class guitarist Stanley Clark closes the Saturday night set with Chicago's own guitarist Nick Colionne also premiering his latest Cd and closing out this star studded festival on Sunday. This promises to be one of the highlights of Chicago's summer musical events.

Contemporary jazz can be seen at Close Up 2 Wednesday through Saturday. For details, refer to their website at: www.closeup2jazz.com.