By Tom Ineck

LINCOLN, Neb—Bass players worldwide from the diverse realms of progressive jazz, funk, fusion, soul and pop music have been influenced—inescapably and profoundly—by the technique Jaco Pastorius innovated in the 1970s and 1980s, and Lincoln is lucky to have one of the best in its midst.

Andy Hall was in the spotlight on the electric bass much of the evening of April 26 at the Cornhusker Hotel, as he and the rest of the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra paid tribute to Pastorius, with the help of arranger and historian Peter Graves, a close friend of Pastorius who traveled from his home in Florida to conduct the NJO and share his musical and personal insights.

The entire band seemed especially energized by the challenging Graves charts, from the James Brown-flavored opener “Soul Intro – The Chicken,” with its funky tenor saxophone workout by Paul Haar, to “Havona,” with its busy woodwinds and propulsive Haar tenor, to the bass-driven funk groove of “Teen Town,” which had bass trombonist Matt Ericson and baritone saxophonist Scott Vicroy providing some exciting dynamics.

Of course, it was Hall who consistently hearkened to the brilliance of Pastorius, with his legato phrasing, booming harmonies and confident, finely articulated melodic attack. At Graves’ urging, Hall improvised a lyrical bass introduction to “Continuum” that emphasized his interpretation of the tune on a fretless instrument, what Hall himself described as “singing a beautiful ballad.”

“(Used to Be a) Cha Cha” was a driving arrangement featuring Hall on bass and Tom Harvill on electric keyboard, with a solo spot for Ed Love on piccolo. The encore, Herbie Hancock’s “Wiggle Waggle,” had everyone in the groove and impressive solos by Cully Joyce on tenor sax, Bob Krueger on trumpet and Harvill on keys.

Tenor saxophonist Michael Grimm, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln sophomore and the NJO’s 2011 Young Jazz Artist, featured prominently in the evening’s openers—“Two Ts,” “The Nearness of You” and “All of Me”—warming up the audience of 350 for a concert that ranks among the NJO’s finest hours.

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By Tom Ineck

LINCOLN, Neb.—No Swing Era band has preserved its trademark sound better or longer than the Count Basie Orchestra, as it proved March 18 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.

Seventy-five years after its birth in Kansas City, the big band still bases its reputation on the riffing, blues-based swing style pioneered by William “Count” Basie, who died in 1984. Regardless of the players, the band has maintained its familiar sound and its audience, 1,300 of which turned out to hear a generous sampling of the Basie bandbook.

Former Basie drummer Dennis Mackrel now serves as conductor and emcee, guiding listeners through such well-worn tunes as “16 Men Swingin’,” “Shiny Stockings” and, of course, the band’s theme song, “One O’Clock Jump.” The band paid tribute to Hastings native Neil Hefti with renditions of the ballad “Lil’ Darlin’” and the uptempo burner “Whirly Bird,” as Hefti’s nephew listened from the front row.

The 17-piece ensemble displayed its usual egalitarian approach with a division of labor that allowed every musician a featured tune. Baritone saxophonist John Williams, a band member for 40 years, had the spotlight on the ballad “Carney,” named after Harry Carney, the Duke Ellington baritone legend. Bassist Marcus McLaurine of Omaha was featured on “Good Time Blues.” Trumpeter Scotty Barnhart was called to the mike on several occasions to showcase his expert technique, especially when using the plunger-muted horn on Frank Foster’s swinging “Who, Me?” and “Blues in Hoss Flat.”

Cleave Guyton led the charge on flute for the fast-paced “Basie Power,” Marshall McDonald was featured on alto sax on “Things Ain’t What They Used to Be,” and the Thad Jones ballad “To You” put the spotlight squarely on the plunger-muted trombone of Alvin Walker.  

Carmen Bradford, singer with the band since 1983, took the stage for three diverse numbers, an uptempo “My Shining Hour,” the ballad “Young and Foolish” and the blues belter “I’d Rather Drink Muddy Water.”

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By Tom Ineck

LINCOLN, Neb.—They hail from the same hometown, but New Orleans favorite sons Terence Blanchard and Branford Marsalis took different approaches to jazz Feb. 25 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.

Trumpeter Blanchard fronted a quintet that performed more highly structured and ambitious music that nonetheless provided plenty of opportunities for improvisation. Most of the pieces in the band’s 90-minute set were drawn from its most recent release, “Choices,” which also features occasional spoken-word passages by writer and educator Cornel West.

“Bass Choices” was a showcase for 19-year-old bassist Joshua Crumbly, gradually adding tenor saxophonist Brice Winston, Blanchard on trumpet and pianist Fabian Almazan, who then continued in an introspective solo informed by folk and classical influences. Drummer Kendrick Scott kept a solid beat despite the complex interplay and shifting dynamics as the concert ended with a full-band version of the title track, “Choices.”

The Marsalis quartet’s approach was looser, with pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis and young drummer and latest addition to the band Justin Faulkner ranging freely over four tunes in less than an hour, as their leader alternated between soprano and tenor sax.

Their opening set began with a new, yet-unnamed tune by Calderazzo, then moved to more familiar territory with Thelonious Monk’s typically angular “Teo.” The band swung hard in a solid blues shuffle, eventually turning it over to Marsalis for a bold tenor solo. Calderazzo’s gorgeous ballad “Hope” had Keith Jarrett-like echoes and ended with a transcendent soprano sax solo reminiscent of another New Orleans jazz giant, the legendary Sidney Bechet. Monk’s “52^nd Street Theme” charged headlong to Faulkner’s surging rhythms and Marsalis’ urgent tenor work.

A respectable audience was in attendance for this rare double-bill, despite the inclement winter weather. 

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By Tom Ineck

LINCOLN, Neb.—The Nebraska Jazz Orchestra’s guest soloist came armed to the teeth with an arsenal of wind instruments for a Feb. 18 concert at The Cornhusker Marriott.

Multi-instrumentalist Scott Robinson effortlessly segued from tenor sax to trumpet to the immense bass saxophone in a set largely consisting of bluesy swingers and breathy ballads. His soulful playing and mellow hipster demeanor—complete with a gold lame jacket decorated in a pattern of musical notes—also coaxed some outstanding performances from the NJO.

Robinson’s easy-swinging tenor on Bob Mintzer’s “Lester Jumps Out” invoked the tune’s namesake, tenor legend Lester Young, a featured a solos by guitarist Peter Bouffard and trumpeter Brad Obbink, leading to a wonderful cadenza by Robinson that seemed to take NJO music director Ed Love by surprise. Backed by the rhythm section only, Robinson switched to trumpet for a sweet, lyrical rendition of Louis Armstrong’s “If We Never Meet Again,” then it was back to the tenor for a swaggering and soulful take on “Big Dipper,” a Thad Jones tune that had a fine plunger-muted trumpet solo by Bob Krueger.

As the sax section took up flutes and clarinets to create a light, airy backdrop on Tom Harrell’s “Sail Away,” Robinson began on trumpet before shifting to tenor sax. He added the giant bass sax toward the end of an Ellington classic, the Johnny Hodges vehicle “Jeep’s Blues,” taken at an intoxicatingly slow drag tempo. While on tenor, he ventured into weird and wonderful harmonic territory. On the pulsing swinger “Legs,” a Howie Smith composition based on the changes of Coltrane’s “Giant Steps,” tenor saxophonist Cully Joyce held his own trading four-bar breaks with Robinson—also on tenor.

The bass sax took center stage on the ballad chestnut “It’s Magic,” with Robinson making it moan as he spanned its range to reach guttural depths. Taking Jerome Richardson’s “Groove Merchant” at a brisk tempo, he soared on the big horn and received a standing ovation from the audience of 350 as he delivered the final, booming low note.

Before Robinson took the stage, the band began its set with a tune by long-time NJO collaborator Rex Cadwallader called “Pernambuco,” named for the type of wood used to make bows for stringed instruments. Appropriately, bassist Andy Hall was featured on bowed opening and closing statements. The lovely piece of exotica was also notable for its reed soli, brass chorale and Bouffard’s Pat Metheny-style guitar solo.  

The 2011 Young Lions All-Star Band opened the show with a set of three tunes, including Nat Adderley’s “Teaneck,” with Robinson sitting in on tenor sax. The ensemble work was pretty solid and a few soloists stood out, including alto saxophonist Brian Vuu, trumpeter Brian Nelson and pianist Michael Schreier of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the only non-high school student.

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By Jesse Starita 

OMAHA—“It’s a great honor to be here tonight and swing for you,” trumpeter Wynton Marsalis intoned from the back of the polished wooden stage of Omaha’s Holland Center. More than a musician, songwriter and leader of the renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Marsalis has evolved into the jazz equivalent of Ban Ki-Moon, an ambassador who cultivates the future of jazz by honoring its past, like a tree soaked in the fertility of tradition sprouting new branches of sounds and ideas.

On Feb. 5, while a cold wind whipped outside at 12^th and Douglas streets, a capacity crowd inside warmed to the sounds of Wynton and his ensemble of New York’s finest trumpets, trombones, saxophone, drums, and flutes, as they breathed new life into jazz standards, nursery rhymes and originals.

Opening duties fell upon the orchestra’s newest member, trombonist Chris Crenshaw. His cinematic tale “The Block” began with a resonant, marching swagger, punctuated by drummer Ali Jackson’s tambourine shakes. Suddenly, the march stopped. Victor Goines’s saxophone solo swirled languorously around the walls—the way dust lifts off a gravel road after a truck rumbles past—until the boisterous conversation of the street corner reentered. Next, Wynton introduced “Humpty Dumpty,” the first of the set’s four Chick Corea covers, which, like the three that followed, presented each section—saxophone, flute, trombone, trumpet and rhythm—a healthy balance of in-the-pocket melodies and intricate improvisational passages.

But the first set clearly belonged to Crenshaw, a youthful, emerging force in jazz. The only thing to upstage his trombone, frightful and melancholy on Count Basie’s “I Left My Baby,” was his singing on the same number—convincing, playful and evocative. His skill in composing new thoughts (“The Block”) and reinventing old ones distances him from his peers.

A few years ago, it was Crenshaw’s bandmate, trumpeter Ryan Kisor, who blasted his way from Sioux City, Iowa, to the proverbial young-lion pedestal. More years to his name have done little to diminish his play. As the first set came to an end, Kisor’s trumpet soared on Corea’s “Straight Up and Down,” as he elongated a few high-altitude notes against a rapid fire assault.

After a well-timed leg stretch, Wynton renewed the evening on a light note. Just seconds into their first song, audience members exchanged animated expressions, their faces said “I know this song!” The kindergarten classic “Old McDonald Had a Farm”—perhaps because it appealed to Nebraska’s agrarian pedigree or because it was thoroughly entertaining—struck every note, musically or otherwise, right on. Wynton’s trumpet mute mimicked the ee-ii-ee-ii-ohhs, Vincent Garnder’s trombone solo Xeroxed the song’s churning rhythm, and Ted Nash’s bright saxophone bundled everything together. You know a big band is cohesive, skilled and literate when they can play a nursery rhyme and make it sound like you’ve never heard it before.

As the night drew to a close, a sense of irony was forming. When will the rhythm section—those dutiful laborers who plant the foundation for vibrant solos and colorful interplay—get their turn? Sometime after the final note rang out, while the encore claps began to echo, drummer Ali Jackson, bassist Carlos Henriquez and pianist Dan Nimmer calmly walked back to their instruments, and for some time exhaled a barren, bluesy vamp—the oxygen from which jazz breathes—until a familiar trumpet was first heard then seen. Naturally, Wynton got the last word.

“It’s a great honor to be here tonight and swing for you.” Few contemporary musicians make good on these 12 words like trumpet icon Wynton Marsalis.

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