All-star jazz group shines

On Friday, Feb. 18, Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker and Roy Hargrove performed at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., on their "Directions in Music" tour. Their nearly three-hour performance was as powerful, complex and inexplicable as any music being played today.

Although the acoustics are wonderful, the Warner is an odd venue for jazz, with balcony seating, ornate gold trim, an enormous hanging chandelier, suited ushers and tickets starting at over $50. Equally strange was the musicians' setup on stage. Both Hancock and Brecker had laptops that controlled their synthetic tones, Hargrove had an array of electronic effects strewn at his feet and Hancock also had a keyboard lying on top of the enormous grand piano (both of which where hooked up to synthesizers).

The concert opened with sparse percussive squeaks and squeals, spacey sci-fi synths and a low burble of conversation issuing from Hancock's computer. Bowed bass, odd drumming and Hancock's dissonant piano chord gave the piece, which Brecker later said was a "very deconstructed version" of Hancock's classic "Dolphin Dance," an ominous, modern-classical feel. Stylistically, the group went from brooding fusion to a stop-time bossa to P-Funk type grooves to music that can only be described as modern.

Undoubtedly, the majority of the audience came to hear the legendary Hancock, who delivered on expectations. He plays with complete harmonic, rhythmic and tonal freedom employing jarring chords, dissonant counterpoint, syncopated claves and screaming synthesizers, often simultaneously.

The biggest surprise of the show, however, came from Brecker. For those familiar with his work, the racing scales, soulful melodies and colorful phrases aren't particularly shocking, but no one was prepared for the "Electric Woodwind Instrument." In a dazzling solo performance, Brecker played a funky synthesizer melody on the device, then looped it, added about 10 layers (don't forget the synth didgeridoo bassline) and proceeded to solo over his demonic groove.

Hargrove was the most relaxed of the soloists, and he still went pretty wild. He uses the "wah-wah" pedal effect on his trumpet (a la Miles Davis), which sounds like a trumpet underwater. In fact, his lyrical style owes a great deal to Davis; indeed, the entire ensemble sounds like the logical extension Davis' fusion from the early 1970s.

The trio was joined by a forceful rhythm section consisting of Scott Colley on bass and Terri Lyne Carrington on drums. Colley held down an extremely comfortable groove while the soloists were going nuts, and his strong funky and melodic sense kept the group from flying completely off the ground. Carrington is one of the funkiest drummers around. Her playing style has a constant funk and rock undercurrent that propelled the ensemble along. The rhythm section's tone and the timbre of the hall gave the bass a round punch and the drums an almost heavy metal sound, letting them be powerful but not overwhelming.

All the musicians were physically exuberant; Hancock bobbed up and down, Brecker swayed and squatted and Hargrove repeatedly leaned forward as if to snatch the notes out of the air with his horn. For an encore, the group played "Watermelon Man" from Hancock's classic album "Headhunters." By that time, the novelty had worn off and all that remained was warm, emotional music played by world-class musicians. The steep ticket price was actually worth it.