I got the chance to go see Darmon Meader last night for the ridiculously low price of only ten bucks. In my mind that is the deal of the year. He was playing at Harford Community College in Maryland (my old stomping grounds growing up) in a very intimate concert hall with his quartet: Klaus Mueller on piano, Ike Sturm on bass, and Marcello Pellitteri on drums. Believe me, these guys handled their business with style and musicality. Darmon is a rare talent, blessed with both a great voice and a gift for playing saxophone he’s also a gifted composer and arranger. He is most known for his work with the New York Voices where he is the leader, a featured singer, the primary arranger, and handles the sax solos. Recently he released his first solo CD called “And So Am I” and it has been one of my go to albums when I’m traveling or driving in the car. His artistry is evident throughout and the writing and arranging just bring a smile to my face every time I listen to it.
One of the things I love most about his saxophone playing is his tone. He is simultaneously dark and throaty yet there is a crispness that seems to make every note live in its own space. I also love his approach because he is very melodic but he has a fun harmonic sense that comes from his love of writing and arranging and putting his own twist on things. The band played for about 90 minutes covering everything from standards like Close Your Eyes and I Thought About You (both from his latest CD) to bebop tunes like Red Rodney’s Red Tornado to twists on more recent songs like the Beatles’ All My Lovin’ to his own funky and grooving originals.
I stayed around afterward to buy one of the New York Voices CD’s I didn’t have yet but didn’t really get to talk that much to him. It’s practically a crime for two saxophone players to be in the same room and not talk about mouthpieces or reeds but I managed to elude incarceration for the evening. If you get a chance to hear him or check out his CD’s I think you will like what you hear. I believe he said the New York Voices will be playing with the National Symphony in DC next month doing Christmas music and I think they were also playing Christmas music at the Jazz Standard in NYC around the 20th of December. I may try to make a trip up there to see that.
