Maurice Brown Effect

Maurice's accomplished band included Derek Douget on saxophone, Solomon Dorsey on bass, Joe Grissett on Drums and Chicago native Chris Rob on piano.They began the first set with an original selection taken from Maurice's debut Hip to Bop CD entitled" Rapture." On this tune, Douget waisted little time demonstrating his skills with a nice extended solo, followed by a couple of long ranging riffs from Maurice , that he's noted for. This immediately set the mood for the entire evening , as the near capacity crowd roared its approval.

"Fly by Night", was next on the agenda, another composition that Maurice wrote , along with all the music from this concert with the exception of Duke Ellingtion's "In A Sentimental Mood." It was keyboardist Chris Rob's turn to shine as he demonstrated mastery on the "Stineway" during this selection and throughout the night. Although this was no surprise to this listener, many in the audience were caught off guard by the exceptional sound this Whitney Young High School graduate produced. Chris accompanied Maurice last year during the Jazz Chicago.net's "concert of the year"performance at the Velvet Lounge and was outstanding during that set. Also on this number, Maurice's "chops" were profound as he was full of spirit and energy.

Maurice and the gang demonstrated their tender side as he unveiled "Lovely", another song that will be on their upcoming CD, Hip to Bop II.On this sweet ballad, Maurice used his fugelhorn to get his message accross to the audience, while Rob seemed to literally run out of space as he tickled the 88s. Douget was also featured on this selection.

Maurice dedicated "It's a New Day" from his debut CD to his father, who was celebrating his birthday. This proud father did not hesitate to express his feelings for his son's performance during this two hour concert. He indicated to this writer that it's not often he gets an opportunity to see Maurice perform, and he was enjoying every minute to his performance on this occasion.

They began the 2nd set with "Day Dream." Maurice and Douget engaged in friendly "call and response," on this song which the crowd loved.This number, along with the next selection entitled 'Misunderstood", will also be included on his next CD. Although Maurice is only 27 years old, his work as a composer, and arranger, as he domonstrated during this concert, is just as impressive as his musical genius.

One of the night's many highlights came next on their arrangement of Duke Ellington's "Sentimental Mood". Rob was also featured as a vocalist , which was a very pleasant surprise. Not only does this young man play like a master, his singing on this number was done with charm and and conviction. Again, every piece of "ivory" was put to good use.

The group used this occasion to debut "Merry Go Round," which Maurice committed to paper only two weeks ago.It also was well done, and of course, will be included on the new CD.

Before bringing this wonderful evening to a close, they decided to "raise the roof" with "Funk Hop". This number was taken to another level with Maurice and Douget again engaging in rapid fire friendly bantering.As a result, his writer isn't sure if Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple will ever be the same. Drummer Joe Grissett also got a piece of the action on this number with a long extended solo.

Although the crowd primarily came out to see Maurice , they left with an appreciation for five young men who "held court" in this intimate invironment and demonstrated that jazz is in good hands. These "young turks" , are all serious musicians, who respect the art and are determied to do what's necessary to make sure that it continues to live on during their generation.

Maurice Brown fans will have another opportunity to see him in action when he returns to Chicago on November 2nd to accompany vocalist Jennifer Graham during her concert at the DuSable Museum. Jennifer will be featured on WNUA's Jazz Chicago Style , Sunday October 26th from 10 to Midnight. Those listening to the show will have an opportunity to win tickets to this concert. Ticket information will also be posted on this website.