The Melvin Sparks Band 7/23/2003

Melvin Sparks has had quite a long and prestigious history including; playing for such jazz icons as Blue Note Records and Prestige Records back when record companies still made records, a pioneer of the acid jazz movement, playing with the likes of Charles Kynard, Ron Levy, Idris Muhammad and Johnny "Hammond" Smith, and hitting hard bop with old timers like George Benson (back in ’65), but most contemporary listeners recognize Sparks from playing his funky guitar with Karl Denson on Dance Lesson # 2.

Like most jazz masters, Sparks is an amazingly versatile musician, especially when improvising, and tonight he hit on all levels. He’d be grooving along, and suddenly there’d be a little snippet from Gershwin or the Flintstones’ theme, or Coltrane’s "A Love Supreme". It was a musical adventure, filled with twists and turns and themes, both new and retro all at once.

Sparks is also a generous band leader, allowing each player a chance to shine while he watched and beamed his subtle smile. Each player in the quartet was a strong, experienced musician, comfortable with the exploratory realm Sparks created, enabling him to lead or follow throughout the night.

Good music is supposed to be transporting, and as I listened with my eyes closed I was moved to that place, far away in my mind. Spark’s music may be complex and off-beat jazz, but it’s not dissonant, nor is it inaccessible, it’s just the opposite. The melodies are lyrical and specific, almost pop like and always return to center, even after the most dynamic improvisations. And unlike most music these days, it’s certainly a bargain for the amount of groove he can deliver (he played for the better part of three and a half hours) and the amount of intensity. At 1:30 in the morning he was raring to go for more. He wasn’t the only one.

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