Henry Franklin " The Skipper" at the LAX Westin!
by jazzcat on Jul.18, 2005, under News
Well, I guess when you say the word “Skipper”, most of the
world may think about some tall white haired cat that utters the phrase, “Hey
little Buddy!” However, when it comes to jazz music, there is but one, kindly
referred to as “The Skipper” and he is Henry Franklin.
For certain this world class bass player runs a tight ship
of musical melodic love in four. Standards that swing and smile with delight. Tunes
like Horace Silvers, “Juicy Lucy”, “My One and Only Love”, “Softly as in a
Morning’s Sunrise”,
Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” and even some original music from two of his latest
disc called “Three Card Molly” and “All Gods Children”. Tonight on piano is
William Henderson (Kaman), Carl Burnette on drums and Mark Waggoner on guitar.
As usual, due to the early starting show time and Los Angeles traffic, the
audience at the Westin starts off small and builds during the set. By the end
of the first set, the place was overflowing. The crowd was filled with its
share of regulars but tonight, everyone seems to be a connected musical family.
They all seem to have a relationship on some level with Henry, a group of true
supporters.
The Skipper and his crew are certainly a beloved band. The
music and their kind spirits attest to that. The melody is sweet as Kaman and
Mark add just the right ingredients. Carl is riding high on the symbols and
brush stroking the time as these cats tighten the screws and lock down the
flavor.
Henry evenly weaves his magic as he solidly holds down the
rhythm with ease. He is a gentle giant of this music and his solos are passionately
melodic. He dedicated the song, “I Love You” to his audience and the love was
certainly given in return. On the break, he smiles at me and says with
confidence, “Did we bring them out”? Although the answer was overwhelmingly obvious
I replied, “It looks like you did”!
A couple of surprises happened during the second set when
Kaman jumped up from piano and switched to Soprano, who knew? Also, emerging from
the audience to sing like a bird in the night was Ms Talita Long, who also
appears on Henry’s latest disc, “All Gods Children” that was released the same
day as the performance. All in all, an outstanding performance and great
turnout for a great man of jazz, Mr. Henry Franklin.
LeRoy Downs
