Led by Snarky Puppy vets, Ghost-Note set to headline MO Jazz Music Festival
It's no surprise that Ghost-Note chose to introduce itself with drums.
"Conversations," the first song from the band's 2015 debut "Fortified," opens with a long, concentrated drum roll — the percussive equivalent of a singer finishing a surprising run in one breath. Then a jubilant call-and-response breaks out, again all on drums, before the cut rounds into shape, approximating a funky street parade.
Formed by a pair of percussionists, Robert "Sput" Searight and Nate Werth, whose resumes include time in the Grammy-winning force-of-nature collective Snarky Puppy, Ghost-Note always puts its best beat forward.
Columbia audiences can get down to the sound in early September, when Ghost-Note headlines the one-day MO Jazz Music Festival in Rose Park.
An annual effort of the nonprofit Jazz Forward Initiative, the festival distills a wide variety of jazz and jazz-adjacent music into a single sitting.
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And Ghost-Note embodies this big-ears, open-arms approach. Searight and Werth's vision reaches out to enfold a big, modern band of players who synthesize many styles in the name of making a substantive impression. The band's core lineup, as identified on its website, includes players who have backed the likes of Prince, Kirk Franklin and Toto.
That nimbleness can be heard on the band's pair of albums, and no doubt extends live. "Fortified" is the sound of musical abundance, making room for phasey synths, dyed-in-the-wool funk and Beastie Boys-esque hip-hop — and that's before the band offers a tune called "Beastie," deep in the tracklist.
2018's "Swagism" stretches the spectrum in both directions, incorporating both more sonic collage and traditional funk. The title track is bright and deep, a brilliant jazz melody delivered by the saxophone floats on funky currents of bass, percussion and organ, showing how capable the band truly is.
While Ghost-Note features vocals on some cuts, the drums do most of the talking. They initiate and carry "Conversations" the song, and a greater discourse. In the skilled hands of Searight and Werth, percussion cries out against injustice, calls into the distance for human connection, smiles wide, and expresses emotions ranging from joy to discontent and sublime desire.
Also on approach
True to its name and mission, this year's fest also features a number of terrific Missouri-based acts.
Tom Andes: The definition of a local living legend, pianist Andes is both a master interpreter of jazz standards and a thoughtful composer. Andes' collaborative nature and easy charisma distinguish him.
Megan Birdsall: The Kansas City-forged talent lives up to — or, at least, close to — her name as a confident songbird with an expressive voice and real musical dexterity.
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Columbia Jazz Orchestra: No longer upstarts, but a Columbia institution, this group gathers serious local talent to swing through dynamic big band charts.
Good 4 The Soul: This St. Louis quartet "draws upon jazz, funk, fusion, gospel, and R&B repertoires to deliver a powerful and unapologetic sound," according to its bio.
Mo Jazz Music Festival takes place Sept. 10; admission is free. Learn more at https://rosemusichall.com/.
Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. Find him on Twitter @aarikdanielsen.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Snarky Puppy vets lead Ghost-Note to Rose Park jazz fest
