 Geof Bradfield |
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Story by Brad Walseth Photos by John Broughton, Copyright 2009 Saxophonist/composer Geof Bradfield and pianist Ryan Cohan traveled to Eastern and Central Africa on a tour jointly sponsored by the U.S. State Department and Jazz at Lincoln Center. His experiences in places such as Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Zaire, Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe led him to compose ten pieces for jazz sextet - African Flowers - the Chicago premiere of which occurred Oct. 10th at the Claudia Cassidy Theater at the Chicago Cultural Center. Assisting Bradfield in presenting this work, was an all-star band: Cohan, guitarist Jeff Parker, bassist Clark Sommers, drummer George Fludas and Victor Garcia on trumpet, flugelhorn and percussion. Influenced by the people, music and cultures Bradfield experienced, African Flowers is a colorful tableau filtered through personal experience and infused by an understanding of the history of the region. Because of this, the music ranged from the joyful expression of the African people to the deep sorrows of the tragedies that continue even to this day. "Butare" started things off energetically, with some fine soprano sax by Bradfield and trumpet by Garcia. This was followed by the haunting "The Children's Room." Bluesy guitar by Parker and strong solos by Sommers and Cohan enhanced this striking number, which was written about a display of murdered children (genocide victims) in the Kigali Memorial Centre. Drummer Fludas opened the fiery "Lubambashi," but the heat generated by this angry number (dedicated to the assassinated anti-colonialist Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba) proved too much, and a fire alarm sent the crowd and the band out of the building (a youngster was later determined to have pulled it). After this brief interlude, the band returned to finish the rest of the set without further interruption. (Bradfield commented that the incident reminded him of the many power outages they endured in Africa). The lovely ballad, "Mama Yemo" offered flugel, sax and guitar solos, while Fludas soloed on "Nairobi Airport" and Bradfield and Garcia engaged in lively back-and-forth. The incredibly talented Bradfield was showcased on flute ("Kampala") and tenor ("Harare") before Fludas took center stage on the ending "Leaving Africa." According to Bradfield, his intent in writing this music was to share a part of his experiences; and the result was that the listener did, indeed, feel as though he had shared in the composer's adventure and come away with a better understanding of the beauty and sadness of the African continent.
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 Ryan Cohan |
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 George Fludas |
 Clark Sommers |
 Jeff Parker |
 Victor Garcia |
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