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Feature
Articles Nearly 25
years after his last appearance as guest
soloist with the NJO (then known as the
Neoclassic Jazz Orchestra), tenor
saxophone great Don Menza returned to
Lincoln Jan. 24 2002 to make believers of
everyone as he fronted the Nebraska Jazz
Orchestra in a set of his own compositions
that cemented his place in the hierarchy
of jazz composers, arrangers and
instrumentalist. With an
audience estimated at 450 in the ballroom
of the Cornhusker Hotel, Menza put the NJO
through the paces and reeled off
incredibly beautiful tenor passages, at
any tempo and in any style. Best known for
his work with Buddy Rich and in the
competitive jazz circles of Hollywood and
Las Vegas, Menza still sets a high
standard after a career of more than 45
years. Beginning
with "Gravy," Menza set the pace by
whipping the NJO into a blues frenzy
before entering with a blazing tenor solo.
The familiar blues riff was borrowed by
Miles Davis and renamed "Walkin'," but
Menza reclaimed it, with help from the
entire sax section and a nice bass solo by
Cory Biggerstaff. "Where Did
Summer Go?" is a Brazilian-flavored ballad
that demonstrated Menza's breathy vibrato
on the tenor. His solo soared in a
double-time passage, and his arrangement
for three flutes, clarinet and bass
clarinet was a distinct departure from
convention. Young
trombonist Bryant Scott admirably held his
own with the guest soloist on "TNT," which
Menza originally composed as a
tenor-and-tenor battle with tenor great
Pete Christlieb. Pianist Tom Harvill also
was inspired to new heights in his
solo. "Faviana"
again featured Menza, Scott and Harvill
with an incessant, captivating Brazilian
rhythm faithfully kept by Biggerstaff and
drummer Greg Ahl on brushes. Scott's solo
exuded a warm, honey tone and clear
articulation, Menza waxed lyrical and
Harvill demonstrated a sure sense of
dynamics. The
showstopper, literally and figuratively,
was "Before You Leave," on which Menza
pulled out all the stops. Beginning with a
boppish tenor break, he turned it over to
the sax secton for a unison passage, then
passed it to the trumpets for an
intricate, contrapuntal statement. The
stage was set for an astounding Menza
cadenza that was equivalent to a capsule
history of the jazz tenor saxophone, with
fleeting references to Coleman Hawkins,
Sonny Rollins, Boots Randolph and Woody
Woodpecker. As Menza
concluded this tour-de-force performance,
the audience simultaneously rose to its
feet and burst into applause, certain they
had heard something not to be
forgotten. In what
has become an annual NJO tradition, the
concert began with a set of four tunes
performed by the Young Lions All-Star Big
Band, consisting of high school musicians
selected from the Lincoln and Omaha areas.
Each had at least one turn in the
spotlight, and among the most notable
soloists were trumpeter Michael Steinke on
"Hot House" and saxophonist Alex Levitov
on "On the Westside." Editor's
note: This review first appeared Jan. 25,
2002, in the Lincoln Journal Star.
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