*360-degrees all-around musician Patrice Rushen stands as among the greatest artistic treasures to spring forth from the hoods of Los Angeles, California. As such, she is an eternal hometown queen of royal proportions.
Those that follow her intently have seen her in recent years performing at the Leimert Park Jazz Festival, ceremonies at Locke High School, a benefit tribute concert to Brazilian percussionist Airto Moreira at the Lodge Room in Highland Park, free summer concerts at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall, the Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival, and even as a side-woman/surprise guest of drummer Rayford Griffin at The Baked Potato in Studio City.
However, not one of those concerts fully showcased the excellence and diversity of her two primary passions in musical styles: straight ahead acoustic Jazz, and the Contemporary Rhythm & Blues subsets of searing Funk, inspirational Soul, and Quiet Storm balladry.
On Friday, May 2, 2025 in Downtown Los Angeles’ distinguished Walt Disney Concert Hall, Patrice Rushen addressed the full dynamic spectrum of her artistry like never before to an audience that hung on every note.
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Rushen took the stage at 8 o’clock sharp wearing an elegant all-black ensemble befitting the symphony hall. She sat at the piano and led her quartet in the spirited band warm-up, “Shortie’s Portion,” an original composition from her 1974 debut album, Prelusion. It became apparent that this first set would be acoustic and feature her ‘Jazz Classics’ quartet: Ernie Watts on sax, Reggie Hamilton on bass and Marvin “Smitty” Smith on drums.
The group really took off with exploratory elan on Keith Jarrett’s “Lucky Southern” which included an especially dexterous solo from Rushen honoring one of her greatest pianistic influences. Ditto for a fun version of Thelonious Monk’s “I Mean You (Stickball)” which she played with a soulful elegance that did not include any of Monk’s idiosyncratic playing signatures (a refreshing approach).
Next was the Rushen original, “Lil’ Bit,” a musical portrait inspired by the attitudinal whims of her pet greyhound. It possessed a moody swing in the head anchored by Hamilton’s upright with a bluesy lament on the b-section. Rushen showed attentive love for her decidedly dramatic companion with flourishes of cascades in the piano’s upper register along with some percussive McCoy Tyner-esque emphatics. Watts, who had been playing tenor on previous selections, switched to soprano to further excavate the doggy dog’s blues. Another Rushen original followed in “L’sprit De Joie (The Spirit of Joy)” which elicited wild abandon inside a series of shifting tempos and scenarios. Hamilton switched from upright to electric bass for this workout.
Blessed sublimity arrived next with an utterly gorgeous and lush float through the great Duke Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood.” Rushen opened the song solo with an improvised meditation that led into Watts joining her on tenor for a too-short duet of burnished timeless beauty. Rushen and Watts share history dating back to session and concert work in the `70s as well as a group they co-led (with the late drum master, Ndugu Chancler) called The Meeting. Their interplay was a marvel to behold.
In generous fashion, Rushen respectfully closed the first set with a tricky Ernie Watts original entitled “Freaky Flyers,” which she said she loves because it is “so hard yet fun!” In virtuoso turns for all, Watts turned to each member for focused interplay, concluding with a mighty exchange with drummer Smith.
Following a brief intermission and staging change, Rushen reemerged in “Baby Fingers” mode – donned in another savage black ensemble, this time accented by the bold splash of a yellow blouse. This fresh sporty look signaled that Disney Hall was about to have its roof torn off. Now marshaling an electric septet she calls The Hits Band, Rushen blasted off into her wordless vocal funk jam, “Number One,” bringing many diehards to their feet. Next up was a timely song she introduced on her third album, Shout it Out (1977) – the horns-punched jam “The Hump,” containing the refrain, “Got to get over / Over the hump, y’all / Gotta try!” Unrelenting, Rushen hit the fans with another touché’ of Funk titled “Hang it Up.”
Rushen revealed her tender side with the soothing and seductive “Settle For My Love,” followed by the delightful tropical syncopation of “Music of the Earth” then her swoon-worthy Quiet Storm classic, “Remind Me.” With these three selections arriving so late in the program – all requiring lead singing by Rushen – her vocals were occasionally strained, a situation not helped by her voice not being fully amplified in the house mix. But it was not enough to disappoint the audience, many of whom were singing along anyway.
Two powerful new instrumentals came next, the first an intricate fusion number, featuring powerhouse former Jean-Luc Ponty and Stanley Clarke Band drummer Rayford Griffin, entitled “Arrival.” This was followed by the spiritually reassuring, Gospel-tinged “Song For a Better Day” – a deeply meaningful piece for Rushen written around 2020 when the world was reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, but certainly as relevant as ever in America’s stinging immediate present. Saxophonist Rastine Calhoun poured sanctified soul from his alto horn on this one into a room full of hearts that could so achingly relate.
Rushen closed out this spellbinding and winding sojourn of a concert with a trifecta of Funk hits that sent everyone home with a glide in their stride and plenty dips in them hips. It began with the too often overlooked club smash “Feels So Real,” followed by the jubilant “Haven’t You Heard,” and concluding with an extended mix of her smash “Forget Me Nots,” on which Baby Fingers took center stage to solo and comp on her bright red portable keyboard, The Keytar. Icing on the cake: bassist “Ready” Freddie Washington joining her to play the killin’ bassline and breakdown as he did on the original 1982 recording. Moments like this remind us of the massive influence Rushen has had on female musicians that came after her, admiring her not only for her excellence but style, cool and confidence.
The remaining members of Rushen’s Hits Band were 2nd keyboardist/vocalist Alexis Angulo, bassist Andrew Ford, guitarist Enzo Iannell and trumpeter Chris Gray.
Patrice Rushen’s grand 18-song homecoming concert at Disney Hall is the kind that soon needs to be captured for a TV special or home video. The breadth of repertoire and vibrance of performance reveal the elemental essence of a genre-bending and aptitude leaping musical superheroine.
– A. Scott Galloway / ascottgalloway.net
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