Blue Turtles: 1985/86

Sting breaks musical barriers in free-wheeling C.R. concert...

Gazette Arts and Entertainment writer Rarely has a Five Seasons Center audience been entertained as when Sting triumphantly brought his jazz fusion to the stage last night.

More than any touring artist who's come to the Five, Sting knows how not to play down to his audience. It seems he doesn't compromise himself musically to suit any audience and, though he didn't draw a large crowd (it was just short of 4,400), those who went were visibly moved by a finely crafted show.

Playing with an all-star quartet of jazz musicians, Sting mixed Police tunes with material from his new solo fusion album, 'The Dream of the Blue Turtles'. There was a musical complexity to it, yet it was usually very accessible a rare feat that places Sting the composer on top of the pop-music heap.

Only momentarily was there an esoteric jam session which one would associate with serious jazz. That was halfway into the show, and marked the only time Sting plucked a string bass as he did while in the Police. Most of the time last night he had a guitar over his shoulder.

Nearly all the songs in the two- hour set even the new ones were transformed from their original versions. One would deem this appropriate for a man who becomes easily bored with continuity and sameness. As a musician, Sting continually moves beyond the musical boundaries he sets for himself, most notably with the current fusion effort.

Of course, one would expect a Police tune to sound different played by a jazz band with two female vocalists, but the marked difference in the new material by this same band was notable. An introduction tacked on to the cur- rent hit single, 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free', made it virtually unrecognizable. And instrumental solos were noticeably different.

In fact, whether Sting played alone as he did on an encore number or with his stellar band, the live versions of his songs are stronger than those of his records.

A strong element in the success of the sound was the ever-present saxophone of Branford Marsalis. His consummate technique and improvisational skills never failed to be right on target and blended well into Police standards such as the Grammy-winning 'Every Breath You Take' and 'Roxanne'. On the latter, he was the sole accompanist for Sting during a starkly beautiful and romantic version of that song.

Joining Marsalis was Kenny Kirkland on keyboards, who, like Branford, is an alumnus of the Wynton Marsalis Quintet. Percussionist Omar Hakim is a former member of Weather Report, and bassist Darryl Jones is recognized for his work with Miles Davis. By professional jazz standards, these guys are tops. Their experience was evident in their restraint and solo work.

Playing in an arena didn't help the sound Sting's message-packed lyrics were often muffled - but the light show made possible by a large set was spectacular.

A stairway the width of the stage and rising over two-thirds of it captured beams of bright neon lights, as did three ceiling-length banners placed like pillars on either side of the stage.

During a reggae duo of the Police's 'One World' and the warmly optimistic 'Love Is the Seventh Wave', psychedelic neon lights enveloped the stage and banners to perfectly complement the happy, spontaneous feeling of the music. Caught in the feeling, Sting joined the singers and bassist in the shuffle.

There was no doubt last night: Sting has affixed his name among those of the most arresting figures in pop music.

To keep fans from rushing the stage, the Five Seasons Center tried putting up folding chairs on the main floor last night and closed off the first floor of the arena after it filled. Alas, it didn't work. As soon as Sting broke into his opening chords, fans rushed from their chairs toward the stage and were joined by hundreds of other people seated in the first-floor bleachers

(c) The Gazette by Dee Ann Rexroat

Sting isn't afraid to take big chances fool...

Either Sting is pop music's most daring risk-taker or he's a complete The handsome Englishman has made a career of confounding people's expectations in a business where too much innovation usually writes the recipe for disaster.

Sting has managed to skate the cliff's edge and come out smelling like a rose - a very wealthy, much idolized rose. He resembles a man who works the circus high-wire without a net, keeping the audience mesmerized while they wait to see if his next trick will lead to their further amazement or the performer's doom. The apparent contradictions in Sting's professional life may provide a clue to why he appeals to a diverse group of listeners that includes bubblegum-popping teenaged girls, punks with shaved heads, and middle-aged jazz aficionados. Consider the twist-filled path the complex man has followed since setting off to pursue his muse:

• Sting abandoned a career as a teacher to go on the road with The Police. He was trained in the sophisticated ways of jazz; The Police were, in their early days, punk rockers.

• Under Sting's influence, which included writing and singing lead on most tunes, The Police became hugely successful. The band's sound evolved to be anything but punk: slick technopop that combined Sting's introspective lyrics and reggae-influenced bass lines with polyrhythmic drumming and minimalist, artful guitar playing.

• With The Police at the height of their popularity, Sting became increasingly involved in acting, playing roles in 'Brimstone and Treacle', 'Dune', 'The Bride' and other films.

• His acting career gaining steam - and a mega-selling Police hit album, Synchronicity', on the charts-Sting decided to shelve other film and band projects to work on a solo record. The Police's breakup was rumoured, though members continue to insist they're only taking a vacation.

• To back him on the solo record and subsequent tour, Sting didn't hire, as one might have expected, a crew of good-looking, blond, proficient rock-and-rollers, similar to his mates in The Police. Instead, he signed four of jazz's hottest rising black stars.

• In his concert act, which visited the Five Seasons in Cedar Rapids Friday, Sting mixed searing jazz tunes with upbeat rockers, reggae songs - and a surprising number of slow, moody, introspective pieces that repeatedly put the show's brakes on hard. The concert went in fits and starts, charging ahead for three or four numbers that had the audience dancing in the aisles, the tempo then skidding to a near-halt for a ballad.

What is this guy doing? Is he testing his fans, or himself? Is he a facile pop star, a new wave reggae-rocker, or a frustrated jazz player with a yen to be taken seriously. Or, as one person at the concert suggested, has Sting been a closet jazz musician all along, who now, at the pinnacle of his success, is using his influence with a young, predominantly white audience to turn them onto the beauty and power of a less accessible music style?

Sting may be the only person who knows the answer, and even he might not know.

Regardless of the unusual pacing at the Cedar Rapids concert, Sting's audience remained enthusiastic throughout the performance. This was partly due to his considerable charisma, but mainly because of the excellent music.

Whether Sting and the band were riffing at breakneck speed or inching their way through a ballad, the playing was tops. Considering Sting's band, the result could hardly be other wise.

Holding down main solo duties was Branford Marsalis. The brother of jazz and classical trumpet sensation Wynton Marsalis, the sax player was able to ride the crest of a perfect wave dividing rock and jazz.

Darryl Jones, whose main job is playing in Miles Davis' band, stalked the stage with his white Fender bass, creating the bridge between Marsalis and drummer Omar Hakim, who was borrowed from jazz super-band Weather Report for the tour.

Kenny Kirkland, a Herbie Hancock protégé who plays piano for Wynton Marsalis, laid restrained and tasteful piano and synthesizer lines over Sting's group.

Janice Pendarvis and Dolette McDonald provided soulful back-up vocals, though the entire band joined in the harmony on several tunes.

Sting, who was/is bassist for The Police, played electric guitar, getting out an electric upright only for part of one song. His guitar playing was quite solid, anchoring the rhythm with jazzy chord voicings on his black Stratocaster. His distinctive tenor, clear on some songs and surprisingly gritty on others, soared above the music.

Seeing musicians with such outstanding abilities perform in an essentially pop format inevitably reminds the audience of many rock-and-roll players' technical limitations - which may have been one of the points Sting was trying to make. 

If the young crowd were being exposed to culture, they gave no evidence that the experience was painful.

One could have watched Sting's band in vain for clues to how these jazz aces felt about backing up a pop idol. They're on record as appreciating Sting's apparent efforts to introduce jazz to a wider audience, the exposure it's getting them, and the chance to try their chops with a different style of music.

Nevertheless, one must wonder. Here are four musicians, each in- credibly talented, but dedicated to a less-commercial art form; their chance to tour the country playing to arena crowds comes when they hire themselves out to the very epitome of a pop star.

Beneath his fashionably baggy brown suit, Marsalis wore a T-shirt decorated with a reproduction of one of Picasso's Cubist paintings. He may not have been making a statement, but the garment perfectly symbolized the cultural collision.

A musician less assured of himself wouldn't have dared to hire these guys. On the other hand, jazz players of this quality wouldn't have agreed to work for just anybody. Chalk it up to Sting's ability to maintain artistic credibility while making millions of dollars. It may seem like a contradiction in terms, but contradictions are what Sting is all about.

(c) The Dispatch by Mike Romkey