The many faces of Jazz

Thursday's Small Jazz Ensembles concert at the Cat in the Cream showed some of the many forms jazz can take. Although the groups were at different levels of expertise, taken as a whole they displayed the talent and breadth of Oberlin's jazz program.

The all-vocal front line is a rare format in jazz, but Grabefruitemple made it work. The group's singers, Oshon Temple, Samantha Grabler, and Seth Fruiterman, were a classy trio dressed in black. Backed by piano, bass, and drums, they began with a laid-back version of Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage." It's not a tune that's usually thought of as a vocal selection, but their arrangement made it sound natural. It was followed by "Bye Bye Blackbird," sung by Grabler with piano and bass. The rhythm section played with a restrained, finger-snapping swing, letting Grabler explore the nuances of the melody.

James Blachly burst in on the bass to start the next tune, "Centerpiece," a medium tempo blues. Temple soloed nicely, scatting from low notes to falsetto. Adam Faulk, on piano, took a thoughtful, adroit solo as well.

The last selection was "Caravan," made famous by Duke Ellington. Drummer Matt Hill showed off his deep groove in this energetic rendition. The set ended with whoops of approval from the audience: Grabefruitemple were crowd-pleasers in the best sense.

Unprotected Sextet came next, with a more standard lineup: tenor saxophone, two trumpets, piano, bass and drums. The group didn't have the same unity as Grabefruitemple, but the individual members showed promise. Drummer Chas Mortimer was a strong element, pushing the band with his aggressive but tasteful playing. They began with "Recordame." Kojun Sato played a solid, concise solo on tenor sax. The next song included bop-style rhythm changes, played with dexterity by first-year trumpeter Josiah Woodson. The next piece began with a somber bowed bass solo by senior Ramsey Hussain, which led, surprisingly, to a down-and-dirty blues shuffle. First-year Pianist Brendan Cooney brought to mind Oscar Peterson at times in his solo. The other trumpet player, first-year Damien Hill, got his chance a chance to blow in the last tune, "Birdlike."

Sesada closed the evening with a set that brought together tight ensemble playing and intriguing compositions. The group, junior David Fishkin on sax, junior Mattthew Mueller on bass, senior Brian Chase on drums and senior Chris Parrello on guitar, had the experience and maturity that the first two groups lacked. They pushed the edge of jazz conventions while never completely abandoning structure or meter. The first piece was "Green Tooth," written by Mueller and dedicated to his dog. It had a complex melody that used unconventional rhythms. The band had a strong sound anchored by the interactions of the rhythm section. The next song, by Parello, began with a delicate introduction using harmonics on the guitar and bass.

This was followed by two contrasting melody sections. The group was sensitive to dynamic changes, which tended to give their pieces a sense of form. They ended with "The Slow Grip of Death," by Chase, which also featured contrasting sections. It was played with the same intensity as the other two songs. Sesada demonstrated the chemistry that happens when skilled players come together in a cohesive ensemble.