Nov 3

Nov 3 The Electric Hippo

When the Reva and Logan Center for the Arts mailed out the flyer for its annual Chicago Presents Jazz Series months ago, many people were intrigued by one particular listing: Some guy named Leon Cross audaciously was leading a quartet fronted by his tuba. I could probably name 100 or more saxophone or trumpet players without too much trouble, but I must confess, only one tuba player comes immediately to mind—that being the late Howard Johnson.

Tuba? I had not idea what to expect. Would Cross bring a marching band? Or more likely, a group recreating the music that is heard during New Orleans funeral processions? You know, like the funeral processional in the James Bond movie, Live and Let Die.

Tonight, after a long wait, those longstanding questions were finally answered. This was not your father’s When the Saints Coming Marching In. Leon Cross is a London-based tuba player who has clearly been influenced by the likes of Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report, Frank Zappa, and a host of other purveyors of jazz fusion.

With him tonight were Nikos Ziarkas on guitar and bass, Ahnansé on saxophone, and Nate Ricketts on drums. Midway through the set, fellow Blue Note recording artist and Chicago’s favorite son, Isaiah Collier joined Cross for one number.

Unfortunately, Cross did not announce the names of the numbers, but I would not be surprised if selections by Davis, Hendrix, and possibly Thelonious Monk were among the songs comprising the set list. The effort also revealed clear hip-hop influences. Cross and company engaged in extended jams, with each musician taking his turn soloing.

Cross had attached a microphone into the tuba’s bell, and he then manipulated the tuba’s otherwise unadulterated voice using what look like guitar foot pedals perched on a stand. At times, I heard the roar of a hippo (guttural howls), but I also heard deep bass lines, as well as sounds mimicking a wild electric guitar solo.

I am not sure how Cross managed to support the tuba’s weight on his back and shoulders during the entire 85-minute set, particularly because he moves like a tiger across the stage, pacing back and forth. One minute he is in front of the drummer, and the next he is on the other side of the stage. Afterwards, he did say that he does worry about his back when I asked him if he is a weight lifter. He clearly is in good shape.

Guitarist Nikos Ziarkas relied heavily on a foot pedal/box, often crouched over it making the adjustments by hand. He managed to pull off some extended solos during the course of the set. I was particularly impressed with drummer Nate Ricketts whose strokes were both sharp and deliberate. I don’t usually think of swing when jazz fusion comes to mind, but Ricketts put down some of it tonight.

As for Collier, afterwards I said to him, “Man you can play in any idiom.” He fit right in.

The music was loud, which is not always well received by many of those subscribing to the Jazz Series. Afterwards I spoke with several of them. All were knocked out by the performance.

Given Cross’ efforts tonight as a leader, we may see more tuba players in the future.

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