by Cynthia Close, Burlington Writers Workshop
Review of Linda Oh: Sun Pictures Quartet in FlynnSpace on Monday, June 2.
photo by Brent Hallenbeck, Burlington Free Press.
Walking into the seductively lit FlynnSpace Monday night one could imagine entering a hip, underground jazz café in Paris or Berlin. The space had been transformed. Closely arranged round tables surrounded by comfortable chairs, filled the main floor with a few rows along the sidewalls to accommodate the standing room only crowd that had come to see and hear Linda Oh and her three musical soul mates that comprise the Sun Pictures Quartet.
The room was pleasantly abuzz when the diminutive Linda Oh came on stage with her drummer, Rudy Royston, guitarist, Matt Stevens, and tenor saxophonist and only holdover from the group’s original CD, Ben Wendel. They simply walked out on the low stage platform up front and started playing. There is a certain modesty and restrained self-assurance that Linda brings to her musicianship. There is no doubt that she is the solid anchor, yet she manages to let each of her talented partners have their flights of fancy while holding them in an orbit around her.
The first piece was an aural experience that for me seemed to echo what I imagine a baby in its mother’s womb might hear. I felt a beating heart that seemed to mimic a life force that surrounded me. Very sensuous, a vibrating, contemporary sound. At the end of that opening set, Linda informed us in her decidedly Australian accent, that it was a piece she composed to honor the color field painter, Mark Rothko.
The musicians communicated with each other in a very intimate, yet non-intrusive way. There was individual intensity, virtuosity, and a seemingly mutual admiration that was like a conversation via smiles, glances, and a nod of a head. Tenor saxophonist Bill Wendel and drummer Rudy Royston were mind blowing. Their solo riffs seemed to mesmerize the crowd that often showed its pleasure with intermittent bursts of spontaneous applause.
About midway through, Linda switched to electric bass, which did not seem to engage her in the same way that the big, body-sized classical instrument had earlier. Thankfully she returned to the upright bass for the last set, which brought the audience to its feet with a standing ovation that enticed Linda and Sun Pictures Quartet back to center stage for one last piece. Before saying how much they enjoyed their first gig in Vermont, I along with the rest of the crowd, were already hoping to hear Linda Oh again at next year’s Discover Jazz Festival.