Basie takes a fitting role with festival

Terraplane Blues kicks off alliance, opens for ‘Gatemouth’ Brown
Correspondent

VERONICA YANKOWSKI Jennifer Wright makes herself heard on the Count Basie Theatre stage on Friday, when her band, Terraplane Blues, opened for Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown.

For the first time in the 17-year history of the festival now known as the Red Bank Jazz & Blues Festival, the Count Basie Theater partnered with the Jersey Shore Jazz and Blues Foundation. The theater held paid admission concerts, in addition to the free music, food and crafts festival being held in Marine Park just blocks away.

On the festival’s opening night, the Red Bank-based band Terraplane Blues electrified the small, yet extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic, crowd during the opening set. The band’s seamless transition between traditional Delta blues, raucous juke joint rhythm and blues, and post-war Chicago styles, provided a lesson in the evolution of blues music. The ensemble took the audience on a tour through the cotton fields of the Mississippi Delta, to the electrified big city blues pioneered by the likes of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf.

Dynamic lead vocalist Jennifer Wright opened the set by belting out her original composition, "Queens," which paid tribute to the female blues vocalists who have most influenced her.

Jennifer Wright shares the spotlight with her husband, Gary Wright, whose slide guitar work and vocal style is steeped in tradition and as good as it gets. His performance of Robert Johnson’s, "If I Had Possession," brimmed with the authentic edge of a true blues-man.

Combined with the powerful harmonica work of Phil Proctor and an extremely tight rhythm section, consisting of guitarist Joe Santora, Rich Downes on bass and drummer Darryl Walkowicz, Terraplane Blues provides a palette of rich and flavorful blues morsels.

Special guests Jumpin’ Jack Strobel on keyboards and saxophonist Darren Lambeth added a nice touch, rounding out the sound.

The performance of Louisiana Blues legend, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, was icing on the cake. Brown has enjoyed a career that has spanned decades, and spent part of that time as a member of the Count Basie Orchestra. He was clearly pleased to be performing in the theater named for Red Bank’s most famous favorite son. He honored the memory of the big band giant with several Basie numbers, including the finale, "One O’Clock Jump."

The partnership between the Count Basie Theater and JSJBF was an encouraging first attempt at expanding the music’s visibility within the context of the festival.