By Marilyn Lester***The Walter Blanding Quartet‘s return to Dizzy’s Club for a four-night residency was not only a splendid program of jazz music played by the crème de la crème of musicians, but, digging deeper, one that went beyond the feeling of jazz to the feeling from jazz that a fortunate audience can come away with. Blanding, a virtuoso of tenor and soprano saxophones, and 
his unit—Joe Block, piano; Philip Norris, bass and Caleb Robinson, drums—certainly imparted a vibe that not only swung but that elevated the energy of the room.
Opener, an extended and highly-nuanced piece of shifting mood and tempi, was hot off the press… so new it was yet untitled. Each member of the quartet had generous features, and when playing as a unit demonstrated remarkable synchronicity, with leader Blanding outstanding on the tenor with smooth tone and dynamic artistry, possibly improvised—or not… too soon to tell—but certainly expressive and engaging. In the spirit of the late Joseph Campbell, who wrote about comparative mythology and folklore, many of Blanding’s original works are inspired by fables and folkloric literature; an uptempo tune, based on Jack and the Beanstalk, featured Blanding on the curved soprano sax, whose look and sound offered a visual cue to the fairy tale. Its Latin undercurrent of rhythm and melodicism was happy-making, underscoring the intent of the piece: optimism. During this number a special guest entere
d: spouse Laura Blanding, who is a percussionist and virtuoso of the tambourine.
The evening’s closer gave all rhythm section players the opportunity to stretch out on their respective instruments. This barn-burner of a tune was not only a melody-based feast of jazz music but was unique in the demonstration of the tambourine as an effective solo instrument. Ms. Blanding’s energetic and passionate playing of that instrument was an eye-opener, a lesson that certain music-making pieces that often get relegated or sidelined in composition or playing (i.e. the tuba) have amazing capacities in their own right.
Back to what jazz can accomplish: Blanding’s narrative was warm but minimal, and what he did have to say was a reflection of his very long-held philosophy of life. And that is, as he has stated and written about before, “understanding the beauty of our differences and the things we all have in common. We discover the profound depth and importance of cultural awareness and well-being.” Jazz is many things: foundational in structure to most American music, a statement of the essence of freedom, and a conduit of a higher power, among other attributes. Many great jazz players and composers have been “preachers” in that latter regard: among them, Duke Ellington, Wayne Shorter, Sun Ra and famously, John Coltrane. Whether conscious of this fact or feeling or not, anyone at Dizzy’s over this latest Blanding residency was a congregant of a shared, elevating, transcendent experience.
