Concert Review

Pizzarelli's charm, showmanship shine

By Tom Ineck

LINCOLN, Neb.—Popular jazz guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli celebrated his 47^th birthday with nearly 700 listeners April 6 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.

A New Jersey native a long way from his current home in New York City, Pizzarelli brought along his wife—cabaret singer Jessica Molaskey—and their daughter, in addition to bandmates Larry Fuller on piano, Tony Tedesco on drums and brother Martin Pizzarelli on bass.

They were accompanied by some old, reliable friends—classic songs from the Great American Songbook by Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Cole Porter and others. You can’t go wrong with tunes like “Lady, Be Good,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Pick Yourself Up,” “You Make Me Feel So Young” and “How About You?” all expertly rendered in the first half of the show.

Leaning heavily on his most recent release, 2006’s “Dear Mr. Sinatra,” Pizzarelli introduced many of the performances with humorous stories, like the one about songsmith Cy Coleman performing “Witchcraft” for Ol’ Blue Eyes for the first time. Then there was the one about a late-night session between composer Dave Mann and lyricist Bob Hilliard that produced “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning.” Giving it his own wistful twist, Pizzarelli played his guitar solo on “Wee Small Hours” using only harmonic overtones, a tricky maneuver with great effect.

Pizzarelli’s interpretations of these trademark Sinatra songs was anything but slavish mimicry. Possessing a thin voice of limited range, he pitches it high enough to blend nicely with his swinging guitar rather than trying to match the master’s smoky baritone. The arrangements, too, vary greatly from the Sinatra originals. “Under My Skin” and “Witchcraft” were reduced to gentle ballads, with Pizzarelli nearly whispering the lyric on the latter. On the other hand, the guitarist sailed through “How About You?” at breakneck speed, while Sinatra voiced it at a casual swing tempo.  

He related his only meeting with the Chairman of the Board with self-deprecating humor. It was 1993, during a stop in Berlin on an 18-show tour opening for Sinatra. Hoping it would be the start of a great friendship, Pizzarelli confidently shook the hand of the great man, who only looked him up and down and said, “Eat something! You look bad!”

Molaskey, a wonderful singer with all the clarity and pizzas of the cabaret style, joined the band in the second half for a set that included “We’re in the Money,” “I Don’t Know Enough About You,” “Make Believe,” “It’s a Good Day,” and “Cloudburst.” The most unusual choice was Paul Simon’s “Hearts and Bones,” a re-polished gem from the early 1980s.

The most hilarious performance of the evening was a rendition of Pizzarelli’s own youthful tribute to his home state, “I Like Jersey Best,” in which he imagined various cover versions by doing impressions of Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, the Beach Boys (complete with surf guitar), Billie Holiday/Madeleine Peyroux, The Police, Neil Young, James Taylor, Jimmy Darin, Johnny Cash, Lou Rawls and, yes, Lou Reed.

For the inevitable encore, the band launched into a bravura rendition of Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm.” After sitting out much of the evening, the rest of the band got to solo at length, and they did it in style, especially pianist Fuller.

Already a seasoned veteran of the jazz circuit worldwide, Pizzarelli is a storyteller nonpareil. His deadpan wit is perfect for small clubs, but is somewhat strained in the larger confines of a concert hall. Nonetheless, his innate showmanship and charm won over the Lied Center audience.

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Gates struggles with NJO sound problems

By Tom Ineck

LINCOLN, Neb.—To successfully front a fully amplified big band, a singer needs not only a powerful voice—and a lot of courage—but a good mike, a sensitive sound engineer and a monitor level that allows him to clearly hear himself in the mix.

Giacomo Gates has long exhibited artistic integrity, courage and a brawny bass-baritone instrument that soars under the right conditions. But he was needlessly plagued and distracted by poor sound reproduction throughout his April 10 appearance with the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra at the Embassy Suites in downtown Lincoln. Of the dozen or so times this writer has heard him perform—including many different small-group settings at the 2004 and 2005 Topeka Jazz Festivals, at the Jim Monroe memorial concert last July in Topeka, and with the Joe Cartwright Trio here in Lincoln last April—this was the most disappointing.

In the opener, Gates rose above the technical challenges to belt out a satisfying “Jeannine,” the classic Duke Pearson tune with lyrics by Oscar Brown Jr. Darren Pettit added a nice tenor sax solo. With a band reduced to trombones and rhythm section only, Gates then tackled Gershwin’s “Oh, Lady Be Good,” complete with the tricky Eddie Jefferson vocalise based on Charlie Parker’s alto sax solo of 1947 and titled “Disappointed.”

For Miles Davis’ “Four,” Gates was accompanied only by the rhythm players and tenor saxophonist Paul Haar, who also served as NJO music director in Ed Love’s absence. He navigated the Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson lyric with ease, but got only tepid support from the rhythm section. The only tune on the song list that wasn’t on the program, perhaps it would have clicked better with more rehearsal.

On “No, Not Much,” it became apparent that Gates could not hear himself well enough to stay on pitch when backed by three saxes, two trumpets, a trombone and the rhythm section. His intonation drifted even more with the return of the full band on Horace Silver’s “Senor Blues” and Thelonious Monk’s “Ask Me Now (How I Wish),” with lyrics by Jon Hendricks.

Harry “Sweets” Edison’s “Centerpiece,” with another Hendricks lyric, came off better, perhaps because it is a basic blues pattern that was easier to maneuver vocally. It also featured impressive solos by Scott Vicroy on baritone sax, Bob Krueger on plunger-muted trumpet and Pettit on trumpet.    

At various times, Gates struggled with a mike that was too sibilant, too hot or too muddy, a particular problem for a vocal stylist who “uses” the mike so inventively. Like the professional that he is, he valiantly fought the technical glitches, but not always successfully. 

The high point of the evening was an unexpected one—a four-tune performance by the Metropolitan Area Youth Jazz Orchestra, an audition-only ensemble comprised of Omaha-area high school students and directed by Darren Pettit. They played with verve and surprising confidence in a set of great stylistic variety.

Beginning with “The Chicken,” a funky number by Pee Wee Ellis, they moved to “Count Bubba’s Revenge,” which had saxophones, trombones and trumpets performing separate soli sections before rejoining for a punchy give-and-take. Pat Metheny’s dreamy “Minuano” was beautifully executed in an arrangement by Bob Curnow. The grand finale was the swaggering take on the Charles Mingus composition “Gunslinging Bird,” from the Mingus Big Band arrangement by Steve Slagle. These youngsters gave it just the right mix of brash attitude, brassy power and musical ability.

As with most young jazz bands, the Metro Orchestra was more impressive in its ensemble passages and a little dicey in the solos, a natural weakness that is overcome with the experience of age.

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Concert Review

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Concert Review

Schneider Orchestra lives up to reputation

By Tom Ineck

LINCOLN, Neb.—In just 14 years, the Maria Schneider Orchestra has established itself as one of the great jazz ensembles of modern times, rivaling the ground-breaking bands of Gil Evans and Oliver Nelson.

Schneider lived up to her considerable reputation in a performance Feb. 3 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.

Like Evans, the 46-year-old composer and arranger draws from diverse influences, including classical, folk, Latin and other world music, and she carries it all off with a highly distinguished group of players. The 17-piece outfit is truly an orchestra, capable of myriad tonal colors and outstanding solos.

“Journey Home” began the evening with a flamenco flair and a breezy, open melody reminiscent of Pat Metheny. Guitarist Ben Monder burned with Hendixian heat through “Turk’s Café,” a tune that Schneider said was inspired by a sleazy diner where she once worked in her home state of Minnesota. Scott Robinson’s off-kilter baritone sax solo added to the weird mix as the tune lumbered to a close.

A Brazilian choro followed, largely voiced by Rich Perry on tenor saxophone and Frank Kimbrough on piano. Percussionist Clarence Penn set the tone by drumming with his hands. The performance was almost classical in the precision of the ensemble, the lush harmonies, the rich colors and the shifting dynamics.

Schneider’s arrangement of “My Ideal” illustrated her sentimental side with a beautiful showcase for Greg Gisbert, alternating between flugelhorn and trumpet. The first-half closer also featured the reeds in a unison passage on flutes and clarinet.

Schneider introduced the second-half opener as a “fantasy fox trot,” the third movement of a suite from her “Concert in the Park” recording. After introducing each of her musical colleagues, Schneider described the concert finale, “Scenes from Childhood.” Consisting of three movements drawn from her own experiences growing up in Minnesota, it also exhibited the composer’s sense of humor.

Monder poured on the heavy guitar fuzz and feedback to open “Bomb Shelter Beast,” followed by Robinson with an aptly apocalyptic baritone solo. The loping, funky second section featured Steve Wilson on soprano sax and trumpeter Ingrid Jensen with Miles Davis-style register leaps and pregnant pauses. Kimbrough opened the final movement, a sailing theme called “Coming About,” with some dreamy piano arpeggios, setting the stage for an astounding tenor sax solo by Donny McCaslin. For an encore, the orchestra offered the beautiful “Love Theme from Spartacus,” a showcase for Rich Perry on tenor sax.

The Schneider orchestra is a refreshing alternative to the swing tradition, with few references to the blues or to conventional big-band arrangement.

Schneider conducted the ensemble with a dancer’s grace and exhibited a Midwestern charm and warmth, with a healthy dose of fun.

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McCune leads parade of guest soloists

By Tom Ineck

LINCOLN, Neb.—The Nebraska Jazz Orchestra stage had a virtual revolving door on the evening of Jan. 11, as nearly 40 musicians of all ages moved onto and off of the platform at the Embassy Suites ballroom in downtown Lincoln.

The occasion was the NJO’s annual “Learning from the Master” concert, in which a well-established soloist shares the stage with members of a select Young Lions All-Star Band. This year, the popular Lincoln trumpeter Mac McCune was the special guest.

But the fun didn’t stop there. The NJO also had a chance to trade licks with McCune, and a special Dixieland segment featured guests Gary Gollner on clarinet, Todd Thatcher on trombone and Jim Williamson on piano, in addition to the NJO rhythm section.

As always, the Young Lions showed their greatest strength during ensemble passages while sounding a little less sure of themselves on solos. Some of the more promising players were trumpeter Tommy Krueger and tenor saxophonist Andrew Janak on Thelonious Monk’s “Well You Needn’t,” alto saxophonist Andrew Castro on “Gdansk,” and trombonist Karl Lyden on “It’s About Time,” on which McCune demonstrated the professional skill developed over many years.

The NJO portion of the show kicked off with “The Crescent City Stomp,” a bluesy second-line march featuring Bob Krueger on trumpet, Ed Love on alto sax and Peter Bouffard on guitar.

As arranged by Eric Richards, the standard “You Made Me Love You” was transformed into a slow Basie-style swing number with notable contributions by Tom Harvill on piano and Stan Harper on tenor sax. One of the highlights of the evening was Bobby Timmons’ bluesy waltz “This Here.” Randy Snyder transcribed and arranged Cannonball Adderley’s original alto saxophone solo for the entire sax section to play in unison, and they handled the difficult changes admirably. Harvill tagged on a suitably bluesy piano solo.

McCune and Gollner took the stage for a set of Crescent City swing, starting with the entire big band on Roy Eldridge’s classic “Rockin’ Chair,” which was capped by a wonderful trumpet-clarinet cadenza. Most of the NJO members then departed to make way for the smaller combo, which launched into “(Back Home Again in) Indiana.” Trombonist Thatcher sat in for Dan Strom, who was unable to travel from his home in Independence, Mo., due to a recent back injury.

McCune delivered a fiery solo, self-assured and devoid of the fluffed notes that usually accompany such risk-taking. Williamson followed with a solo before the front-line horns returned with that classic New Orleans polyphony.

“Just a Closer Walk with Thee” showcased the bluesy gospel tinge with McCune and Williamson combining on a cadenza that even quoted Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” “Bourbon Street Parade” featured a Gene Krupa-style barrage by drummer Greg Ahl and a brief but inspired bass solo by Andy Hall. “When the Saints Go Marching In” was highlighted by a fine Cully Joyce tenor sax solo.

The capacity audience gave the NJO a raucous standing ovation.

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