James Francies and George Cables

A double bill of a quality that would be hard to find in New York City or anywhere in the world – that’s how Stanford Jazz Workshop’s Jim Nadel introduced the show. And the music did not disappoint.

James Francies opened the show with his trio of Zach Moses (bass) and Eric Harland (drums). The music featured powerful open chords and interesting melodies. A lot of sustained chord sounds, maybe fourths. Francies at times was technically fast and precise, but mostly very melodic and musical, with repeated cycles of chords that slowly built drama. Eric Harland played the set imaginatively, with constantly shifting beats and colors, building slowly to a climatic solo at the end of the set.

Interestingly, Francies had been a student at the jazz workshop just seven years earlier. And he studied with George Cables.

After the break, George Cables slowly came on stage, using a walker with yellow tennis balls at the bottom. Once seated at the piano, however, his playing was timeless. Amazingly, his band included Joshua Redman on sax and Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, along with Larry Grenadier on bass and, once again, Eric Harland on drums. They started the set with a classic, Wayne Shorter’s “Speak No Evil” – and while I believe this quintet had never performed together before, the music instantly locked into to a compelling groove.

Redman on sax is always outstanding – every solo is well crafted and emotional. I really liked the pairing with Jeremy Pelt, whose playing didn’t try to dazzle with technique. Beautiful tone and strong, clear phrases.

Cables chose interesting compositions, including his own Helen’s Song. It was interesting to hear Eric Harland play a completely different set. With Francies, his playing was modern and complex; but with Cables he mostly stayed in a masterful swing groove.

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