Chris Dave at Blue Note
On Tuesday night Chris “Daddy” Dave performed two sets with guitarist Charlie Hunter and DJ Rich Medina at Greenwich Village institution Blue Note. The group’s set was a dynamic collection of genre-bending jams from Dave and Hunter interspersed with samples and scratches by Medina. Earlier this year Dave did sets with fellow D’Angelo alums Pino Palladino and Isaiah Sharkey. Dave claims the stage again this week for another residency at the jazz club.
Dave is a master drummer and innovator who has played on countless records across jazz, hip-hop, and R&B with artists including Kenny Garrett, Robert Glasper and Adele. He’s managed to push these genres forward while forging his signature sound and style on the drums. [Why Chris Dave is the “most dangerous drummer alive.”]
I can only describe the set by borrowing words which Dave used to describe his Drumheadz set at NPR’s Tiny Desk: it’s like digging through record crates, sampling different genres and artists. There were few defined edges throughout the set with sparse direction came from Medina’s record choices which included speeches by Martin Luther King Jr. and Al Green’s ‘Love and Happiness’, prompting Dave and Hunter to launch into a groove or improvisation.
Dave and Hunter have a chemistry and are able to follow one other no matter the direction. Dave explored the elasticity of his timekeeping pulse, pushing it forward or pulling it back, while Hunter vamped on a repeated figure. Dave offered a well-placed crash, kick beat or snare hit now and again to catch the downbeat. The pair jammed on tunes including John Coltrane’s ‘A Love Supreme’ and D’Angelo’s ‘Spanish Joint’, which Hunter played on, while moving from jazz to latin to reggae to soul. Dave seemed to enjoy letting us find the “one” before suddenly jumping back to the tune’s head.
Charlie Hunter is a master blues-man and funky, too. Hunter uses a hybrid guitar with both bass and guitar strings, essentially playing the parts of two musicians. His tone was warm, round, and filled out the space Dave carved out. Hunter had his eyes locked on Dave the entire set, effortlessly following Dave’s quick redirections.
If you dig Chris Dave check out my Notes With Attachments album review.
As a drummer, seeing Dave was like seeing Max Roach or one of the jazz greats. Dave is a legend and has helped define an entire sound. He can cover any style, from J Dilla-esque beats to bop to soul, whisking around his kit with incredible control, playing extremely soft and light one second and the next bashing his two spiral crashes. He can stretch the groove so far that it feels like it’s broken and play the most solid backbeat you’ve ever heard. [This Guitar Center performance is a good example].
Dave’s kit is truly a trap set which doesn’t resemble the typical four-piece drum kit. The kit consisted of: one bass drum and one pedal triggered kick sample; three snare drums, his main snare tuned high and muffled, another tuned extremely dead, one with a dub delay effect; a rack tom and floor tom both tuned low and without bottom heads; two dry ride cymbals with rivets; a hihat on his right side controlled by a remote pedal on his left; spiral crashes on either side; various percussion including a cowbell, three bongos, a clap stack, a metallic trash stack and an electronic pad sampling finger snaps. Think jazz kit meets an Akai MPC.
If there was a theme to the set it would be found in Medina’s samples which included Martin Luther King Jr.’s final speech, Malcolm X on his last name, Mutabaruka’s Dis Poem, and snippets of gospel choirs. Medina posed questions on the African-American experience while Dave and Hunter explored the limitless bounds of jazz, blues, funk and soul. This music was a church service.
Until next time,
Keith
