The Supermarket at 268 Augusta Ave hosted its comeback show to its stage with the 4 piece premiere musicians calling themselves, Rich Brown and the Arbeng Quartet. The Supermarket is putting out the call that live music is back and is now charming this beautiful intimate setting.
Rich brown played 12 stringed Bass, and he brought along 3 friends. We have Luis Deniz on Alto sax, Jeremy Ledbetter on Keys and Larnell Lewis pounding the skins… and I do mean pounding, and cleaning up: they did!
Like any great jazz show, they started off a little understated and slightly subdued. After the first piece, Rich threw the spotlight on Luis Deniz and mentioned he will be coming out with his own personal project soon, even though he is not overly comfortable about being a band leader. I am sure he will fit quite well in those shoes when his debut comes to life. I think Blast should have a chance to review this new music. What do you think?
Well the first part of the show Luis and Jeremy shared their chops with each other and the audience. The spotlight was shining brightly on the two of them as they got into a solid groove with deep pockets. The third song was something brand new and they had to knock it out before they forgot how to play it. What I loved watching was how they seemed to flawlessly blend into one another. As one was finishing a solo, there was someone backing them up and taking over with careful precision. Their eye contact was half the show, as they constantly gave each other quick glances, there were entire dialogues going on between all of them. Whether it was a joke or them chuckling at a small mistake, or even pulling their spirits back in the game, these friends really know how to keep this enchanting entwinement flowing through complicated channels.
Rich Brown shared a very personal note about mental health and assured the audience that we are in this together and we can help each other out of this dark period in time. Whatever stress was in the room quickly dissipated as we now moved into a very complex piece of music called the Entomology of Ouch. I don’t really know what this is supposed to mean, and I don’t care. This is a complicated piece that will keep your brain sharp. We got to witness one of the most compelling drum solos, by Larnell Lewis as he showed off, how to truly use a drum kit to its fullest capacity. I looked around my seated area and watched mouths dropping as Larnell’s solo was catching fire. The speed, agility and rhythmic composition went beyond normal comprehension and left you breathless and feeling dizzy. Virtuosic Vertigo may be a better way of understanding it.
The audience demanded more out of this quintessential quartet, so they finish the evening off with a piece called, “Sweet love of mine”. It was beautiful and grounded the audience into a submissive state of euphoria. These four players gave Toronto a joy filled musical ride that played with our mental state of being through both a strong presence of precision and moments of losing control.
It was clear from the start that these four players love playing together, and have the freedom to play with other projects. So please go back and reread these names. If you see anyone one of these names being advertised for a show, run out a grab a ticket, because these guys, are one of the reasons, the Toronto Jazz scene is so rich in this city.
Here are some images of Rich Brown and the Arbeng Quartet:
The show was brought to you by The Supermarket, here is where you can find up and coming shows… https://www.facebook.com/supermkttoronto
Rich brown can be found at… https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063555852317&fbclid=IwAR1Yo62agMPHNSNhf5EEMMSZULUH8eEn9YwQWol8LqsnZm04yrzXfIopNr0
Jeremy Ledbetter is at… http://www.jeremyledbetter.com/
Larnell Lewis is pounding away here… https://www.facebook.com/LarnellLewisMusic