The Newman Center for the Performing Arts is gaining a reputation as a center for musical innovation, and Saturday evening helped explain why.
Newman Center Presents, the University of Denver’s performing arts series, hosted Abraham Inc., a 10-member, cross-genre group that defies easy categorization. And that is the point.
During Saturday’s two-hour concert, it ranged across jazz, funk, klezmer, hip-hop and the blues — combining, crisscrossing and blurring these styles in exciting, often surprising ways. It was a high-energy yet comfortable musical stew.
Helping explain these diverse musical influences are the three headliners who anchor it, starting with David Krakauer, a notable in the classical world who also has to be a candidate for world’s greatest klezmer clarinetist.
With flying fingers and indefatigable chops, he made the instrument sound alternately plaintive, rollicking and seductive. Gliding from the bottom to the extreme upper reaches of its range, he delivered a dazzling array of deftly rendered yelps, chirps, screeches, squawks and trills — effects that were showcased in a long, amazing second-half solo that led into “Der Heyser.”
Fred Wesley, a consummate trombonist who is best known as the music director and primary composer for James Brown from 1968 to 1975, offered no shortage of agile, rhythmically punctuated solo work. But he also knew how to slow things down, opening “Oyfn” with a quietly breathy, bluesy line.
Socalled, who was billed appropriately enough as a hip-hop maestro, switched off on piano, electronic keyboards and accordion and was also one of the evening’s main vocalists, along with rapper C-Rayz Walz (who, unfortunately, who could not be heard well on the first half).
Backing them was a super-talented, multifaceted band, with all the musicians getting moments in the spotlight at different points in the program. Among the standouts were electric guitarist Sheryl Bailey, who was able to break out with some hard-driving licks, and Freddie Hendrix, a smooth, first- rate trumpeter.
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com
