September 23rd, 2007
Monterey Notebook: In the Neighborhood
Sunday, 2:15 p.m. – Coffee House Gallery
Out of the glaring sunshine, vibraphonist Smith Dobson V is filling the shadowy Coffee House Gallery with ringing, spiraling streams of notes.
A native of nearby Santa Cruz and member of that city’s first family of jazz, Dobson guides an orderly quintet through gently rolling grooves, tossing off casual, liquid solos. The band comes together beautifully in the closing ensemble passage of a nameless bossa nova, spinning lazily around Dobson’s clear, bell-like patterns.
Switching gears now, bassist Devin Hoff and pianist Dahveed Behroozi go electric for “Wolverine,” a catchy but oddly shaded lounge-pop melody over a steady surf-rock beat from drummer Vijay Anderson. “G. G. Drift” follows in the same vein, blending 1960s spy-music atmosphere with hints of carnival music. The tune never quite takes off, though, coming across as stiff despite Dobson’s gliding breaks and some crunchy guitar accents from John Finkbeiner.
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