W.S. Walcott Medicine Show

The Ron Carter Great Big Band and April May Webb Live at the Marcus Garvey Bandshell (2025-08-22)

The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival has been a staple of the New York City jazz scene for over 30 years now and I just have to say that the folks at Captial One City Parks Foundation SummerStage, WBGO and all of the other individuals and organizations put on one hell of a weekend of jazz entertainment.

Friday’s opening night was a perfect combination of old and new in today’s jazz world. Opening act, April May Webb and her band won the 2024 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocalist competition and was immediately booked to appear at the Charlie Parker Festival this year. A true family affair, with April May’s husband Ronald Haywood on trumpet and brothers, Dr. Nathan Webb on drums and Jacob Webb on bass joined by Yayoi Ikawa on piano presented a warm and entertaining opening set of classics from reknowned jazz artists as Coltrane and Monk as well as some very impressive original material, most notably “Cottonwood Tree” which April May introduced as the reason she was at

this festival to begin with. As it turned out “Cottonwood Tree” would be the song she performed and which won her the aforementioned 2024 Sarah Vaughan award. It should be added that she sang the tune amidst much consternation from the producers of the competition, as they thought a classic more traditional jazz tune would offer a better opportunity for success. Well, Webb certainly proved the naysayers wrong as the overflow crowd on Friday night found out. “Cottonwood Tree” is a beautiful piece and Webb and her band performed it masterfully.

As I mentioned, the evening was a combination of both new and old. After April May Webb provided all of us with the new, it was Ron Carter’s turn to offer up the old. At 88 years of age, let me just say that Carter still has IT. Walking out on stage and most appreciatively Carter took time prior to starting up the music to bask in the adulation which was being showered in his direction. At some point “Who is Ron Carter?” will be a very difficult $2000 Double Jeopardy answer to the question “what musician has played with Miles Davis, Harry Belafante, Billie Joel and A Tribe Called Quest”? Those four artists are just the tip of the iceburg of names whom have graced the stage and/or recording studio with Ron Carter over the years. A true legend!

I was lucky enough to have gotten to see Carter at the legendary Bradley’s over on University Place in the West Village back in the day performing with just himself and a piano, his combo of choice. Friday night however was the absolute polar opposite of the two person combo as Carter resurrected his Great Big Band which he first got together back in 2011. While I doubt if this was the same ensemble that he put together 14 years ago, I can attest to the fact that this particular band was outstanding. An 18 piece ensemble which included:

A saxaphone section of David DeJesus, Steve Wilson, Jonathan Beshay, Ivan Renta, and Jay Brandford. Jon Owens, John Chudoba, John Bailey, and Brandon Lee on trumpets. Trombones provided by Jason Jackson, Steve Davis, James Burton, and Becca Patterson. And of course we had the rythm section spear headed by Carter himself on bass, Ray Gallon on piano, Greg Skaff on guitar and Peyton Crossley on the skins. This band which is basically a who’s who of New York jazz stalwarts cooked. I mean, I have no idea how much these dudes play with one another with this kind of setup but let me just say, they performed like a group of nearly 20 individuals that play with one another on a daily basis. They sung, they grooved, they took it down to the bare minimum when called for and they took it to the highest of peaks when the time needed it. They had the packed amphihteatre dancing in the aisles in their seats throughout most of their hour and change set. They were, to use a word that is oft-times overused in today’s parlance, AWESOME!

     

April May Webb Slideshow:

The Ron Carter Great Big Band Slideshow: