Junior Mance at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

by Alan Greenblatt

Let's hear it for the sidemen, the keepers of the beat, those who lay the rhythmic foundation beneath the melody. Junior Mance has been a sideman for about 50 years, as have the other two member of his trio, who performed a fine concert Friday night at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater.

Mance has two strong hands and knows how to play the blues. His performance was like a textbook example of how to swing; you wished you could use his playing as an illustrated example of why if you put a note Here rather than just There, a piece will move.

His solos were always within spitting distance of the melodies (of familiar tunes such as "Take the 'A' Train" and less frequently played cousins such as "Emily"). He played "Blue Monk" straight but slower than you've ever heard it, making it more poignant. His uptempo solos featured slight embellishments on the melodies the first time through, then some more trilling on the next chorus, and finally full-fisted pounding on his last pass.

Bassist Earl May had a light, unobtrusive touch but always elegantly filled in where Mance left a little room along the bass line. Drummer Jackie

Williams was also understated, just a tat a rat here and there. He knew some crowd pleasing tricks, though. For instance, he dropped the sticks and banged on the snare with the backs of his hands, doing it in a rolling motions that made his hands a blur.

This was not a concert to change your life or even change your perceptions of the songs performed very much. Instead, it was just smooth and done right.