We went to see the Emmet Cohen Trio last night at the Birdland. We try to go see Emmett whenever he is playing there. He is an amazing performer, and usually has some very talented musicians along for the ride. I will dig into Philip Norris who played bass this time and last time we saw him in another post, but right now my mind was blown by Joe Farnsworth who played drums last night. Maybe it was because we were front row in front of the drums, but more likely it was Joe’s skills, but in short he fucking owned that drum kit last night.
Joe was serving it up and owned that drunk kit in ways I have never seen. The rock drummers I’ve seen who rocked it have a very wide, sprawling, and theatrical way to deliver what they do. The jazz drummers I’ve seen are definitely tighter and are cooking up something beautiful and masterful. But Joe looked like he was stirring and poking at some cosmic portal that opened up in the universe and his motions were tight, forceful, and inwardly controlling in such a masterful way. I shut my eyes and got lost in the assault on my body, mind, and ear.
I absolutely love being able to walk through Hell’s Kitchen and catch bands at the Birdland. I thoroughly enjoy Emmett’s approach to performing, working through the essential music, while also being in the moment. The bands music is what I need to stop the overclocked gears in my head from spinning and just be in the moment taking in what matters and giving myself over to the interplay between Emmet Cohen on piano, Philip Norris on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums. I feel like the fuel gauge on my soul is back up to full levels to get me through another week in this timeline.
