Dharma Allstars Shine in Port Jeff

On July 14 Port Jefferson’s opened, with John Favicchia and his band, Dharma All Stars.

I must be honest from the start and admit I was not familiar with this Jazz Band. However, as soon as the set began with Horizons, I knew this was not an ordinary gathering. This particular ensemble of musicians were lights out from the first note on the sax to the solos on guitar, drums, bass, and keyboards. By the third number, a popular David Sanborn piece, Snakes, I knew without a doubt this wasn’t just a jazz group, but a finely tuned, well polished, and extremely gifted ensemble. Contemporary Jazz or Jazz Fusion was erupting from beneath the band shell with that Smooth Jazz sound that is done well by only a select number of groups, such as The Yellow Jackets, Dave Valentine, David Benoit, Boney James  and Special EFX This proved to be a very special evening for jazz and music lovers alike.

The Dharma Allstars are a group of New York based professional musicians led by master drummer John Favicchia who has hand picked each musician based on his individual talent and what John feels can enhance the overall sound of the band. In short, each musician can and does perform on their own and has a long list of accomplished credits to show it.

I was certainly taken with Bill Harris and his version of the David Sanborn’s number Snakes. Playing sharp and crisp solos, his golden notes were out front and personal in each number. He and his sax were like two old friend getting together for old times sake. Although he has played with various performing artists and has aired on CD 101.9’s Cool Jazz station, he seemed very much at home with the All Stars.

Many times it is easy to overlook the drummer because of where they sit and the background beats they play. John Favicchia is not a drummer you can overlook. His solos are explosive, filled with ringing cymbals, and exciting, vibrant notes. His solo in the final number Kukuc rang out, driving a Latin Jazz number out to the harbor and way across the village. It was quite a show and a good demonstration of why he is such a widely respected drummer, producer, musical consultant, teacher, and studio musician. His performance on the drums was exceptional.

Bass player Nick Lazarev was very strong and innovative on the bass guitar. His performance in BodyBeat, written by Chieli Minucci, was very impressive holding a solid bass line for a difficult piece of music. Again we have a musician who easily stand out on his own.

Although I had to shift a bit to see keyboard player Misha Tsiganov, it was well worth falling out of my chair. The keyboard solos were tight and melodic in the numbers April Fools, and Kukuc, the last number of the set. As with the other musicians, Mr. Tsiganov is an accomplished key board player in his own right as has played with a number of other talented groups.

Oh did I forget someone? Yes, none other than Chieli Minucci, the lead guitar player and leader of the Grammy-nominated contemporary jazz group Special EFX, which formed in 1982. I’ll keep this short because you are going to want to follow up on Chieli Minucci yourself if you play guitar, follow the jazz scene, or just love listening to great music. The show put on by Chieli was riveting. His riffs and leads in every number were exemplary. Be it a soft, smooth jazz piece like Sing a Song of Songs or his own fast paced, hard driving song BodyBeat his work on the guitar is of world class quality.

Yes, It’s summer once again and the music scene here is as hot as ever.   If the rest of the season is anything like this opening concert, the Summer Harbor Concert Series in Port Jefferson is sure to be a long Island summer classic. Enjoy the show.