Brilliant set by Eigsti and Lage save the day at Sonoma Jazz + concert

By L. PIERCE CARSON
Register Staff Writer

I have seen the future face of jazz and it looks an awful lot like pianist Taylor Eigsti and guitarist Julian Lage.

Eigsti, a 23-year-old Bay Area veteran with six albums and two Grammy nominations to his credit, is among a select few of his generation presently establishing themselves as jazz stars of the future. The same can be said of his good friend and collaborator, Sonoma County’s brilliant 20-year-old jazz guitarist Julian Lage.

Eigsti, Lage and a remarkably innovative rhythm section teamed up last Saturday night as opening act for Sonoma Jazz + headliner Diana Krall as part of the fourth annual Memorial Day weekend jazz series staged in Sonoma’s Field of Dreams.

We spotted quite a few Napans in the crowd at intermission and I hope they arrived in time to hear the exceptional set by Eigsti and company because it was the evening’s saving grace.

Not wanting to kick anyone when they’re down, suffice it to say that Krall was suffering from bronchitis and it was not a performance to remember.

On the other hand, things couldn’t have been better for the four young men who kicked off the evening’s entertainment in the giant white tent a few blocks off Sonoma Square.

On tour in support of a new recording, “Let It Come To You” on Concord Jazz, Eigsti and company quieted the late arriving crowd with a set that ran from a lively interpretation of a pop tune, “Not Ready Yet,” from California alternative rock band, the Eels, to a delicious rendition of a sassy Herbie Hancock composition, “And What If I Don’t?”

The spirited, rocking, funky cover of Wayne Shorter’s “Deluge” featured most appropriate breakouts from bassist Ben Williams and drummer Eric Harland who showed they are on a creative par with their jazzmates. This superb rhythm section and Eigsti’s arrangement allows Lage to coast almost effortlessly into the zone.

A brilliant Afro-Cuban-styled arrangement of Juan Tizol/Duke Ellington’s “Caravan,” which can be heard on the new recording, brought the set to a close and the crowd to its feet.

Eigsti displayed his full range of talent Saturday night. He plays up a storm, from solos that mix rapid arpeggios with melodic runs, to dazzling fingerwork and cool support modes that allow his equally gifted cohort to shine on guitar.

Following a lengthy intermission, Krall tried her best to connect with the crowd. Her first-rate keyboard efforts on a couple of Nat “King” Cole standards, “Deed I Do” and “I’ll String Along With You,” and Jimmy McHugh/Dorothy Fields’ 1930 standard, “Exactly Like You” were well received. But the voice was strained and resulted in problems with pitch.

The evening was rescued, however, by a pair of young musicians who, before long, will be touted as THE bright lights in the jazz world of tomorrow.

If you missed their Saturday night performance, you can catch Eigsti, Lage and musical partners at CD release performances at Yoshi’s Oakland tonight and Yoshi’s San Francisco Thursday night. Shows are at 8 and 10 and tickets can be purchased online at www.yoshis.com.

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