Story by Brad Walseth
Photos by John Broughton, Copyright 2009-10
The unique trio Chicago Goes West stopped in at Chicago's The Whistler on their recent tour - performing two excellent sets at this up-and-coming Logan Square hot spot. CGW is unique in several ways - first of all in that two of its members are Canadian. Bassist Nicolas Bedard is one of the top young bassists in Montreal - performing across many different styles of music, while drummer Karl Schwonik hails from the rising Calgary scene. Schwonik, who, by the way, is legally blind, is considered one of Canada's brightest young jazz stars, and has been awarded several grants for his work. The two met at the prestigious McGill University. Meanwhile, third member trumpeter James Davis is well known to Chicagoans as leader of the James Davis Quartet and zing!, as well as for work with groups like the Jason Steele Quartet. He holds a Master's degree from North Texas State's well-regarded music program and has been teaching at Triton College for the last three years. Schwonik and Davis met while teaching at a jazz camp and the rest is history. And therein lies perhaps the most unusual nature of the group as a trumpet, bass and drums trio is extremely rare. Invited to perform twice at the Kennedy Center, they started their current tour at that famous Washington DC center for the arts, while finishing in Denver, CO.
Here in Chicago, the band opened with Davis' ferocious hard-bopping "Obscurity" (which also opens their debut album on Chronograph Records) and immediately showed this threesome could bring it - with strong playing from all three members. Slowing it down with another Davis original - "Battle of the Forms," the band showcased their trumpet player's softly sweet trumpet over Bedard's African-sounding bass. Able to play fast and brilliant or slow and soft with mellifluous tone, Davis is one of the finest young players in Chicago and is deserving of wider recognition. Schwonik, meanwhile was a marvel of smoothly intricate and creative timekeeping. His deconstructive arrangement of the Jerome Kern standard "All the Things You Are" followed with the band navigating multiple gnarly time changes was a treat, and he also added an explosive solo on "The Dean." Bassist Bedard also provides strong compositions , as evidenced by his "Get Out of My Way," "Suivre la Parade" and the jaunty blues "Nice Shoes." Davis muted his trumpet on the latter and pulled out the flugelhorn on Schwonik's "Local Weather." Davis' "Allegro" "Trio Trois" and "Mirror Yames," with its sudden starts and stops, and Schwonik's "First Snowfall" were also performed well, and the drummer's version of "Caravan" ended the evening with a bang. Davis admitted that playing trumpet in a trio setting can be exhausting, but it is fortunate to have three strong players able to share the load.
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