Stellan Hinz

I had the pleasure of seeing Favorite Daughter at Dick’s Den on N. High Street late on the 24th. The ornate molded ceiling, abundance of dark wooden furniture, and faint neon glow of a Friday night on High Street paired well with the music. Described by band leader Alex Burgoyne as “equally inspired by the Free Jazz of Ornette Coleman & Paul Motian, as well as Smashmouth and Rage Against the Machine” the performance reminded me that sometimes to best appreciate live music you gotta hear it with your ribcage as much as you hear it with your ears.

Burgoyne is a prolific saxophonist, composer, and arranger in the Columbus, Ohio scene. That night he played Alto Sax and was joined by Billy Wolfe on Tenor Sax, Brett Burleson on Guitar, Trent Sampson on Bass, and Dan DiPiero on Drum kit. DiPiero, an Ohio native, was visiting for the night from their current job teaching at Boston University.

Favorite Daughter performed a set replete with standards. There were a few pieces each by the aforementioned Ornette Coleman & Paul Motian. I found that their take on both Roundtrip (Coleman) and Abacus (Motian) to be stand outs. Also performed, among a few other standards, was Miles Mode by John Coltrane. Each and every song showcased the performer’s familiarity with each other and the high degree of musical communication necessary to sell Free Jazz to an unsuspecting audience. Suffice it to say the audience of bar goers was sold.

The band crept into a rendition of Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun from the relative silence of a mid set break. It caught me off guard. There was a slow build to a full statement of the tune which captured the melancholy of that song. No words necessary.

Finally I would like to mention the engrossing quality of Burgoyne’s original compositions. They were all great editions to the set list. My personal favorite, Misgivings, was cacophonous in all the best ways. Like a Barnett Newman color field painting, it was impossible to take the whole thing in at once. For me, the bittersweet fun of listening came from picking apart the conflicting and coordinating statements each player made. Attention shifting from line to line in a meditative way.

Favorite Daughter improved my night out, and more than justified the $10 cover. I’d keep my eyes peeled for them if you find yourself spending the night in central Ohio. You can do so by checking https://burgoynesax.com/favorite-daughter/ for dates. Their next performance at Jazz on Lincoln on July 31, 2026 at 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm.