Perhaps the history books haven’t caught up to him yet, but Tal Ronen is one of the people of substance who create this music. He is a truly eloquent bassist, whose solos have the passion and shape we associate with horn players, but there’s more. When he gets to lead a group of his own choosing, it is more than simply friends-getting-together-to-play-some-tunes. His musical world is built on ideas and feeling, by a world-view that probably isn’t stated but is felt by those who are paying attention. For this performance, he chose friends of equal eloquence: pianist Dalton Ridenhour, guitarist Josh Dunn, and the ever-surprising Tamar Korn.
The jazz club Mezzrow (163 West Tenth Street, Greenwich Village, New York) is dark inside — do people think that jazz is a plant whose leaves will yellow if there’s enough light to read by? — but Tal’s program of December 14 was a response to the darkness outside: not just the short days, but the darkness printed in the newspapers and online. Tal began the second set with his own solo version of Leonard Cohen’s song before offering hope that we would never grow too old to dream . . . of love, of peace, of beauty:
WHO BY FIRE / WHEN I GROW TOO OLD TO DREAM:
HOME:
I’LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS:
and the marvelously expansive Tamar Korn joined in.
THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR THE SUNRISE, where Tamar interpolates (most brilliantly) NAMES I STAND, a poem by her father, Tadek Korn:
DEEP NIGHT:
THE LONESOME ROAD:
and, as a promise of sorts, THERE’LL BE SOME CHANGES MADE:
We hope to leave the cosmic darkness behind: we are guided by such generous art.
May your happiness increase!
JAZZ LIVES 