This is the two hundred sixth in a series of special Jazz on the Tube reviews of live stream performances.
Support live music – even when it’s streamed!
Keyboardist John Chin has performed regularly in the New York area since 1998, following studies at Cal State University, the University of North Texas, Rutgers and Juilliard.
Chin has worked with the likes of Benny Golson, Ron Carter, Gregory Tardy, Mark Turner, Dayna Stephens, and Joel Frahm among others, releasing at least five CDs of his own.
For his performance of “Undercover” at NYC’s Smalls Jazz Club, Chin heads a quintet also including Stacy Dillard on soprano, tenor-saxophonist Tivon Pennicott, bassist Spencer Murphy and drummer Lawrence Leathers.
“Undercover” starts out with Chin’s keyboards creating a dreamy meditative mood.
Chin is soon joined by bass and drums who add color before the two horns play the laidback theme, and get to solo; even when it gets particularly passionate during Dillard’s improvisation, the original quiet groove is retained.
After the piano and bass solos, the quintet finishes the satisfying piece by returning to the original dreamlike mood.
This is the one hundred fifty-first in a series of special Jazz on the Tube reviews of live stream performances.
Support live music – even when it’s streamed!
Drummer Fabio Rojas was born in Valencia, Venezuela, moved to the U.S. to attend Berklee, became a staff member at Berklee, and has since worked with Geri Allen, Terri Lyne Carrington, Greg Osby, Bill Pierce, Sean Jones, Regina Carter, Rachel Z, and many others.
In addition to his performances, Rojas also composes music for films and commercials and is an important educator at the Brooklyn Conservatory Of Music.
On his LiveStream of Aug. 4, 2020, Fabio Rojas leads Trio Incognito, a group that also features altoist David Bixler and bassist Gregg August.
The trio performs a set of original music, beginning with the two-part opener which starts out playful (a little reminiscent of Ornette Coleman) before becoming a melancholy ballad with bowed bass.
The other selections feature adventurous but thoughtful improvising by the trio which often seems to think as one, making for a set of intriguing and enjoyable modern jazz.
