The NOJO, Robert Glasper Give the Horns the Best Seats in the House
The unfortunately named Herbie Hancock Tribute at the Jazz Market felt under-rehearsed and under-planned, but skated by on chops and charm.
When you Google “Mr. Hands,” the Wikipedia entry “Enumclaw horse sex case” is the first link, followed by the entry for Mr. Hands, a lesser-known Herbie Hancock album. So why didn’t anyone involved in the planning of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra’s “Mr. Hands: A Tribute to Herbie Hancock ft. Robert Glasper,” a big-ticket performance last Friday night at the New Orleans Jazz Market, take a moment to reevaluate their event title?
Luckily for NOJO and Glasper, their unfortunate name choice went unnoticed in the media, and last Friday’s show sold out. It’s a good thing, too, because the crowd was treated to a dazzling display of musicianship and a fitting tribute to one of the most innovative artists of all time.
NOJO started Friday night off with songs from three late New Orleans music legends: Harold Battiste, Allen Toussaint, and Clyde Kerr. Each song was arranged for the full orchestra and featured a soloist. Trumpeter Leon “Kid Chocolate” Brown, the first of the night’s many featured vocalists, stepped up to the mic for Kerr’s “Daybreak."
Adonis Rose, NOJO’s creative director and drummer, started the Herbie Hancock section of the night with a brief intro on Herbie and a much longer one on Glasper, who entered stage right with a smile on his face and a drink in his hand. Dressed in sneakers, faded jeans, a “Chicago: We Invented the Footwork” T-shirt, and a tight grey beanie, he looked like an oversized middle schooler crashing a black-tie gallery opening. He acknowledged his attire at one point, looking down at himself, shaking his head and saying, “Damn. I think I have skinny jeans on."
