Tommy Campbell Band

Live at Sometime May 12, 2002

Tommy Campbell—drums
Yuki Arimasa—piano
Ken Ota—saxophones
Yoshiro Okazaki--trumpet
Michio Takanashi—bass

Tommy Campbell’s band gave a full course on time to a packed crowd on a Sunday night. Starting out with two less-known tunes in a cool bop style set the audience up for a straight-ahead evening, but the band had a few more tricks waiting. On these tunes, Okazaki’s trumpet and Ota’s sax blended and diverged smoothly like two perfect sine waves of sound. Arimasa waited for a raggy intro to cut loose, and then proceeded to fire through solo after solo of strong, clear lines.

It wasn’t until “Cheek to Cheek” that the band loosened up to show their control over time, though. On this old Irving Berlin “crooner,” the band used fast switches, double time, great loping bass lines (from Takanashi), and attentive details to create a complicated, shifting texture.

It was then time for Campbell to show off a little. Playing behind his back (yes, one arm around both sides), throwing and catching his sticks, leaving one drumstick balanced perfectly across the top of his head, all while keeping impeccable time might appear to be just showiness, but it’s far from easy. In fact, it’s rather amazing. On a Dollar Brand tune he showed full control over all parts of his drum set, playing everything from children’s toys to a little bell and every nook and cranny of the drum set. The crowd loved the theatrics, of course, and a clever version of “Happy Birthday” for two birthdays in the audience, endeared the band even further.

The second set, though, focused back on musicality. “The Got-to’s” was a straight ahead burner, followed by the lushness of Campbell’s original, “My Heart.” The band kicked into a deep groove that wrapped funkiness around its tightness. Okazaki’s trumpet had an exceptionally bright, clear tone, and Ota’s solos kept a taut flow.

The final version of “Night in Tunisia” was the single best piece of jazz this reviewer has heard this year. Everyone in the band knew right where they were going, and took the repetitive phrases of the intro to set their own tempo. They moved from Takanashi’s slow, steady bass work to Arimasa’s Bud Powell-like high speed. After they poured out everything into this last tune, the band barely had energy for an encore. But just the same, they poured out a little more.