Zen, gypsies and maternity leave

Sense and sensibility, restraint and passion. Guitarist-composer Charles Williams maneuvers expertly between these poles when playing with the Bonaventure Quartet, his all-acoustic jazz outfit. He disciplines his spirit with Zen Buddhism, a practice integral to his music. "Moments of music begin to sing to you and you become the song," he says.
On the other hand, he emulates the bravado and panache of famed gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, whose capacity for theater, Williams says, allows him "to take something really mundane and make it seem really important."

Williams and his quartet elevate their music in a like manner — a simple waltz becomes a stirring, darkly beautiful instrumental. Normally, Bonaventure features the vocals of local talent Amy Pike. As Pike cares for her newborn, though, the group has shifted gears to highlight a clarinet and saxophone player, described by Williams as "the venerable Don Erdman from Argentina, a political refugee and former gaucho." Local veterans Dave Boling on second guitar and Kris Dale on acoustic bass complete the quartet.

While stylistically similar to the set performed with Pike, Bonaventure's repertoire has benefitted from the addition of Erdman. As Williams explains, a decaying note on an acoustic guitar can be picked up by the wind instrument, improving the melody.

Pike will soon rejoin Bonaventure to help record an album of Williams' original compositions, which he hopes will coalesce as a "strange soundtrack to a movie that was never made, about conversations with myself." We're lucky to get to listen in. ?

The Bonaventure Quartet plays every Wednesday at Eclipse de Luna.