Gnappy
Gnappy, Clarksville Jazz Session
Tambaleo, Jan. 15 Filling the Tambaleo happy hour with spacious jaunts into improvisational bliss, renowned local jazz leader and bassist Harold McMillan led a quintet through a set of standards (such as "Mr. P.C.") stretched out across a template of relaxed blues structure. With Martin Banks on trumpet, John Tull on alto sax, Glen Rexach on guitar, and Jeremy Bruch on drums, the former Electric Lounge was filled with an appreciative, reclining crowd of Diverse Arts affiliates and bar-hoppers alike. Augmented by the participation of swing guitarist Slim Richey and his wife, Francie Mojeaux, on bass, this segment of the weekly Clarksville Jazz Sessions succeeded in its quest to preserve the tenets of African-American music tradition within the context of contemporary whimsy. While Banks' standout playing was effortlessly brilliant, it was the group interplay that effectively mirrored the very concept of community building that McMillan has put so much time and effort into achieving. Later that night the stage was commandeered by local jam band Gnappy, consisting of Buck McKinney on guitar, Marcus Cardwell on saxophone, Brad Bradburn on bass, and Kevin Pearson on drums. As funk classics such as Stevie Wonder's "Living for the City" and the
Sanford and Son theme were given the extended groove treatment, further allusions to James Brown and Sly Stone brimmed with professional slickness in the manner of Karl Denson's Tiny Universe. Unfortunately, Gnappy's concentration on musicianship over gutbucket release painted the scene with an aura of unfulfilled mastery. It's not that their songs didn't radiate with tightness and grace, but why not go all the way and play down-home funk with the raw emotion that it requires, rather than merely approximating it? Of course this is a common criticism of the jam-band scene, and where some wince, others eat it up with a spoon. The crowd at Tambaleo, in fact, seemed to truly dig this more passive take on wholly aggressive music.
