Santa Barbara: The smooth-like-jazz legendary Lobero Theater 

It’s chilly outside, but with a line up like tonight, we’re sure to go straight to the sunny side of life. Early on, I met with Grammy Award winner Christian McBride, who is a virtuoso of the bass as well as with his band mates: wicked pianist Benny Green, and master of the drums Greg Hutchinson. As always with jazz musicians, we ended up not talking about the musical genius of the honoree of tonight’s performance, Mr. Ray Brown, but about the SOUL that Ray was–how his spirit is still living right on the sides of this trio every time they get close to Mr. Brown’s repertoire. It’s about letting the energy of the past mingle with the one of the present in order for us to transcend our being into a vague vision of what the future is laying out for our next step in this long, long life ahead.

As the scenery was set, the lights turned on with warm colors raining in velvet layers over Christian, Benny and Greg. I could almost feel the presence of Ray Brown: The king of bass is alive and kicking! I was almost standing high on my feet, ready to break into a frenzy. Still, my legs were jamming and my head bopping at mach 1 speed. Drive me home, baby jazz, drive me!

Jazz is also about listening to the echo of music itself that has evolved from the early age of spirituals to the streets of New Orleans, Chicago and New York, and into a life-form ever evolving, ever moving as a second skin, as the blood rushing up and down our happy and beating heart. It’s about the communion we make as a people, going to the church of music, going beyond our differences of race, age, classes…to meet, to share, to applaud a true and unique way of celebrating God’s gift.

The trio of McBride, Green and Hutchinson took us on the road again that night, the one leading to our inner soul–our inner peace. And they played hard, they played with love and a laugh, with emotions also for their beloved departed. But as Einstein (who was a fan of jazz!) always said: “Nothing is created, nothing is destroyed, everything is transformed.” And so are we when the curtain falls down and a new day in our soul is about to blossom. Like a delicate rose, our heart rises from the tears for the ever-missed Ray Brown. With this new life transcended by these young musicians, we keep on riding life full steam, full force and full of love. Jazz is alive and so are we.

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