Concert review: Alcedrick Todd at Scat Jazz Lounge

We may have gotten a slight break from the heat, but you could barely tell walking in Sundance Square on Saturday night. Between the crowds no doubt wanting to take advantage of the relatively cooler temperatures, and the unforgiving humidity, well, some of us went running right back indoors.

Lucky for me, I ducked into my favorite underground (and air-conditioned) jazz spot, the Scat Jazz Lounge. I stepped off the elevator, and started looking in vain for a seat, but there was none to be had. The place was packed, tables were reserved and Alcedrick Todd was blowing trumpet on stage like a madman. Yup, I was in the right place.

I managed to talk my way into sitting at a table by the stage, just in time to witness a fairly incredible musical back-and-forth between pianist Michael Palma and upright bassist Young Heo. Matt Young kept the beat on the drums, while sax man Chris Milyo and Todd stood off the stage and watched. Todd may be the bandleader, but throughout the night he had no problem surrendering the stage to the other players, allowing them to enjoy the spotlight. The give-and-take between Palma and Heo was fast and frantic, yet precise and tasteful. It was a dazzling kickoff to a wholly unforgettable evening.

Todd advertises that he does a mixture of jazz, hip-hop and funk, and to be honest I was looking forward to seeing where he went with this. But Saturday's show was all pure, traditional, old-school jazz.

"My first influences were Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington," he told me. "I had a grandfather who served in World War II, and we used to listen to a lot of the old AM channels. And they would have the popular music from his era, the swing era, the jazz era. As a 3-year-old, sitting on his lap listening to this music ... it has a sense of nostalgia that comes with it. Listening to this music, as well as performing it, reminds me of those good moments with my grandfather."

Periodically, we also were graced with the sultry vocals of Melissa McMillan. Her voice complemented the searing instrumentals perfectly. Though I didn't get the eclectic mix of music styles I was hoping for, there was plenty of variety -- with lead roles switching off between Palma, McMillan, Todd and Milyo. There was some really tasty solo work from Heo and Young. I was particularly impressed with Palma, sitting only a few feet away from him as he executed blistering solos and made it look easy.

Having toured quite a bit in the past, Todd says he is taking some time to stay put and make his living this fall in DFW. He plans on starting work on a rather personal and ambitious project in October: a CD he is calling Mississippi Bastard.

"I'm from a community of young guys that I grew up with that were all illegitimate children," he explained. "I want to do something where I can make a work that's connected to those feelings of being a neglected child. We all grew up in a small community where we were labeled. There are a lot of ill feelings toward people in that community because they didn't give us a chance to prove ourselves. They just kind of like marked us as bad children.

"So I want to channel all of those negative and positive feelings about growing up in that type of community in Mississippi and put that on CD."

If Todd's performance Saturday was any indication, this CD has the potential to be a major North Texas musical event. Indeed, by the end of the night, I had forgotten all about the jazz/funk/hip-hop fusion I was so curious about earlier (although I do plan to check out one of those shows when I have the chance). The traditional fare, in such a traditional (and air-conditioned) jazz club, was all I needed or wanted.

Online: www.myspace.com/alcedrickt