Small ensembles, big talent

Last performance of jazz series gets crowd tapping along

It's surprising there weren't more attendees at Wednesday's Small Jazz Ensembles performance; the last of the season. Not to say that it was poorly attended. The group of 60 or so knows what they were in for: a full evening of young, ambitious talent, united by the sounds of brassy, foot-tapping, finger-snapping straight-up jazz.

The jazz ensemble groups are never a let-down. They're good, and they know it. They need no introduction, which is probably why Wednesday's performance began with a start, free of unneeded dialog; free of inhibition. The initiators were the Notorious Rax Crew, fronted by college first-year tenor saxophonist David Fishkin. Though the piece wasn't as remarkable as their final number, it set the scene for the night as an up-beat, swinging jazz standard, taking turns between solo and group accompaniment.

Following a slow ballad, the Crew's third and final number definitely was their best. Though it was hard to hear Fishkin announce the song's title, he was perfectly clear when he said, "We're gonna need a little help on this one, so shake your head, your feet...shake anything you've got." conservatory junior bassist John Seman set the pace and, shortly following, the whole audience was clapping along, weird as it may sound, to the music of the Rax.

While the first of the ensembles was good, what followed was even better. The second group up, the Gardeners, brought more of a typical jazz sound to the stage, defined by Double Degree first-year trumpeter Andrea Lindberg's sexy melodies - her whole body breathing life into her instrument - as well as a more active drum focus, from conservatory first-year Brian Chase, than that of his predecessor.

Another interesting aspect of the Gardeners' set was its retro-lounge appeal, thanks to conservatory sophomore Nate Cavalieri who banged the hell out of his vibraphone to the crowd's delight. In fact, the vibraphone had just as much of a solo as the other instruments, and Cavalieri played with a vengeance. In the end, however, the whole piece was tied together by college sophomore Evan Green's simple, 1-2 piano chords, providing the needed consistency for the piece.

The Gardeners proved themselves to be one of the evening's best acts, especially with their last number which allowed Chase to show the audience just how good he really is. Chase began aggressively and confidently worked his way into a quick, tight solo, whose purpose was almost as if to take out his aggression of not having much of a part in the previous slow number. Then, after a minute or so, he tamed down his set to a samba-like beat, letting the group express itself in full.

Well-rested from their previous ballad, the Gardeners were exuberant with talent. They closed the Egyptian-like melody with a nod of homage to the recent Star Wars craze with a slightly jazzed-up measure or two of the "Imperial Death March," a definite crowd-pleaser.

The following groups were all talented, but one particular number which stood out was, again, the last in a set. Written by Ston-Cole-Fox trombonist, college first-year Peter Cole, "Intro, Stupid" was not only the sole tongue-in-cheek addition to Wednesday's performance, but one of the more creative ones as well. Cole's initial whine of a melody, joined by college first-year violinist Jenny Matsuura and conservatory senior Yair Evnine, was punctuated by side-comments from college junior pianist John Laird. The piece was cut-loose and straight-forward, and allowed one last little solo for each performer before they signed off.

Though nearly three-hours in length, the die-hard jazz fans that stuck around for the entirety of Wednesday's performance were not disappointed. Director Peter Dominguez, associate professor of Jazz Studies and bass, apologized for having to squeeze in five groups in one night, but with such a flourish of talent, the crowd didn't seem to mind. As one of the more popular series of performances to come out of the Conservatory, and especially with such an abundance of first-year wonders, Small Jazz Ensembles are likely to earn as great a following, if not more so, next year.