There may not have been dancing in the aisles, but the jazz of “Ben Allison’s Peace Pipe” inspired enough nodding heads, tapping toes, and enthusiastic cheers for the audience to demand an encore. In two sets and an extensive encore, acclaimed double-bassist Allison and his New York City-based quintet introduced University students to their award-winning jazz-world fusion.
Fans and local jazz aficionados who came to Crowell Concert Hall to hear the Allison on Saturday night—and they did come, from all around Connecticut—were also treated to new pieces, a new instrument, and some exceptional solos.
Brought to campus at the behest of the World Music Collective (WMC), Allison’s group works on the cutting edge of jazz, mixing the very American sound of jazz, bass, drums, and piano with an African stringed instrument called the kora. Original to Mali, the kora functions essentially as a two-handed harp—and frequently sounds like the Western harp Americans are familiar with— but also produces sounds of a more traditionally African timbre. This combination lends a remarkable range of tonal elements to Peace Pipe, while the group’s strong foundation in jazz has kept the music accessible.
“I thought it was a wonderful show,” said Colin Scibetta ’05. “I am certainly no connoisseur of world music, but the sounds were interesting sounds that you don’t normally hear, and the music was beautiful. The kora tied the music together…made it uniquely cohesive.”
The kora not only shaped the performance with its evocative sound but also with its limitations as an instrument. Because the kora is monochromatic (meaning it can only play in one key at a time), it must be retuned for every song. While musician Balla Tounkara retuned his instrument, an awkward Allison, seeming much younger than his 38 years, attempted to entertain the audience. Between long pauses and nervous laughter, the New Haven-born artist talked about the songs, the group, the kora, and his own delaying techniques.
“I’ve become an expert in stalling,” he said, as his obvious embarrassment in the relative silence drew snickers from the crowd.
Only between songs, however, did Allison struggle. While playing, he was at ease on stage, a smiling, lanky figure bouncing behind his bass. The flair and creativity that he is recognized for were apparent. In some songs, he used a NYC MetroCard to play; in others, a stick with tambourine-style rattlers made the bass sounds strangely didgeridoo-like.
Allison began his musical career playing standard jazz with Medicine Wheel (album released 1998), the Kush Trio, and the Herbie Nichols Project. While he has always composed and conducted most of his music, Peace Pipe and the 2002 album of the same name represent the musician’s first foray into fusion. Allison said that the CD concept was born when he had an album deadline to meet and no idea what to do. A friend suggested that he incorporate the kora, and he ended up building an entire album around the sound and “monochromaticness” of the instrument.
“It’s a challenge,” Allison said about the limits of the kora, “to write music in one or two chords with a sense of motion.”
A challenge, perhaps, but one that has paid off. The New York Times, JazzTimes and the Boston Globe have listed “Peace Pipe” as one of the best albums of the year. Since his debut in 1996, Allison has released five albums and has played on over 25 recordings by various artists. In that short time, the artist has been hailed as “bassist of the year” (Downbeat Magazine) and “[among] today’s best young jazz musicians” (Fred Kaplan, Boston Globe).
Kerem Alper ’07 heard the band in his native Turkey because his uncle, “a big jazz fan,” listens to Allison.
Of the show in Crowell, Alper said “It was amazing. Perhaps a little too experimental sometimes, but other than that just amazing. Their own songs—the ones that [Allison] wrote—are really incredible.”
Dave Ahl ’05, a member of WMC and one of the show’s organizers, had enjoyed the group’s CD and suggested to the group that they arrange a concert. “Ben Allison’s Peace Pipe” is the first musical event that WMC, whose goal is to enhance the Wesleyan cultural community by bringing international and exceptional groups to campus, has planned this semester.
“There were lots of people and the crowd was really receptive. We certainly surpassed our goals,” said show organizer Sivan Cotel ’05. “Everything just fell into place.”
Backstage after the show, a sweating but smiling Allison said the group had “had fun,” in part because the audience had participated in the concert, cheering and clapping after solos as jazz fans traditionally do. He appreciated the responsiveness, he said, having played shows where a dead silent audience has made inspiration difficult to find.
Allison has written music for film, television, and radio, including the theme for the National Public Radio show “On the Media” and the score for “Two Days,” a play written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Donald Margulies.