Cornelius Boots Returns to Old First Concerts

Cornelius Boots (left) performing with Kevin Chen (from the O1C event page)

In June of 2020, Cornelius Boots was one of the early adopters in the live-streamed series of solo recitals presented by Old First Concerts (O1C). At that time Old First Presbyterian Church was under lockdown conditions; so, like other O1C recitalists that month, Boots performed in his own studio. Yesterday afternoon he returned to Old First Presbyterian, but it was unclear from the live-streamed account whether he was playing in the presence of an audience. He did, however, perform two of his selections with special guest artist Kevin Chen, who, like Boots, plays shakuhachi wind instruments of different sizes.

The first half of the program was devoted entirely to Boots’ original compositions. Two of these, both composed earlier this year, were designated as “live premiere” performances, meaning that they had first been performed only through streaming. The titles of these pieces were “Root Doctor” and “Wood Prophet,” both evoking the origins of the instruments he played. Between these two offerings, Boots gave the world premiere of “Wood God Blues,” which he had completed last year. This selection was inspired by Son House, one of the earliest of the delta blues musicians to have his performances recorded.

During the second half Boots’ primary contribution was a transcription of “Psalm,” the final movement of John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme suite. Boots’ evocation of Coltrane’s style was decidedly impressive, even if it was not as visceral as his approach to delta blues. Nevertheless, the transcription confined itself to the tenor saxophone line, while the music itself was created for a jazz quartet with rhythm provided by drums, bass, and piano. As a result, the notes of Coltrane’s part were noticeably undermined in the absence of the context in which they had been created.

Boots was at his most compelling playing his own music. His approaches to the blues-and-roots genre are as compelling as is his own double-meaning interpretation of “roots,” which accounts for the origins of his instruments. While there was much to appreciate in the duet he composed and played with Chen, in many ways the most satisfying listening experiences took place during the solo offerings in the first half of the program.