12/11/17 Stephen Yee

Sanah Kadoura Quartet

Fall Jazz Evolutions Paper

I have always enjoyed the warmly lit atmosphere and the close quartered space at the

Hyatt Regency. There is no raised performance area, so no stage in the traditional sense.

Because of this, being on level ground with the musicians and being able to get so close to the

performers, the Hyatt is always an appreciated, intimate experience. Luckily, on a windy

Thursday, November 30th, I had the great fortune to watch the Sanah Kadoura quartet perform

the venue. Kadoura’s band consisted of Vic Juris on guitar, Pat Bianca on organ, and Tivon

Pennicott on tenor saxophone.

Sanah Kadoura performed an all original set featuring her compositional work. As

Kadoura is a drummer, I suspected that the originals would be rhythmically challenging and very

difficult – this prediction came true. Kadoura’s compositions featured odd meters in different

fashions, often having the “A” of the tune in one meter and the “B” in another. For the most

part, the compositions were enjoyable to listen to and a fun brain teaser to figure out. Sometimes

however, with the density of ensemble hits and rigidity of odd meters, the tunes seemed to drag

on in one atmosphere for too long – the structure and arranging of the tunes often stifled any

creative flexibility one would usually expect in professional groups à la Miles’s Second Great

Quartet. As a performer, Kadoura brought energy and passion to her compositions, which often

utilized either a straight 8th back beat or 8th note triplet back beat feel. Unfortunately, she

dragged triplet figures. 8th note triplet and quarter note triplet fills in particular seemed to drag,

which muddied up the clarity of her already rhythmically demanding compositional work.

Vic Juris performed incredibly throughout the set. Juris’s solo lines were smooth and

modern with lots of wide intervals, like Woody Shaw or McCoy Tyner, and little bebop

ornamentation, devoid of Bird-like 16th note triplets and enclosure patterns. Unfortunately, the

ensemble didn’t seem to allow Juris to stretch on any tunes, so his solos were often shorter than
the others. I loved and wished to hear more of his beautiful chordal language, which was

disappointedly stifled by the over-bearing organist. When Juris was able to comp, however, his

sensitivity to others and impeccable note choice really complemented the soloist.

I suppose I am very heavily biased, but my favorite performer of the night was tenor

saxophonist Tivon Pennicott. With a soft, diffused tone reminiscent of Stan Getz or Joe

Henderson and subtle manipulation of intonation to glide between notes, like Walter Smith III,

Pennicott’s unique approach to timbre and intonation gives his style a humanistic-vocal quality.

As well as his striking mastery of the instrument, with crystal-like altissimo and close to Ralph-

Bowen-like relaxed posture, I find his ears to be the most impressive aspect of his musicianship.

Often times, Pennicott would wait to hear what extensions the chordal instruments would pick

before coming in with an idea compatible with the altered harmony. Pennicott displayed a

unique style of language, with hints of Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, and Mark Turner all

mixing with his own sensibilities to create engrossing improvisation.

I wish that Pat Bianca left room for Vic Juris. By over-comping and never leaving space,

Bianca really prevented Juris from adding to the chordal and textural palette. As well as not

letting Juris play, Bianca’s comping seemed detached from the ideas of the soloists and others, a

stark contrast to the sensitivity displayed by Juris and Pennicott.

Anthony Ware, alto saxophonist, showed up half-way through the second set as a surprise

guest soloist. Unfortunately, as there was no music for him and not much room to squeeze into

the setup, Ware decided to rely on his ears to improvise over Kaduora’s music and didn’t play

the heads of tunes. This led to mixed results, especially when it came to outlining specific

harmony.

Overall, I enjoyed the night. The performances reminded me of the importance of

musicality and flexibility, with displays of musicianship from Juris and Pennicott as a prime

example. If Kaduora were to perform again, I wouldn’t hesitate to go. I can only hope that she

drops Bianca and gives sheet music to Ware the next time around.