He's Back! - New Jersey Jazz Society

center for a featured flugelhorn solo on
“Always and Forever” and he delivered big
time on this warm, pensive ballad of lush and
moving harmonies. Next up was “Better Days”
with a lively Latin feel that sings with
optimism and joy projected by melodic brass
on the exciting input from the rhythm section
with occasional emphatic punctuation by the
trumpets. This was followed by “So It May
Secretly Begin,” a bossa nova-ish style of chart
that was a nice change of pace. The second
ballad of the program was “In Her Family,”
one of the most haunting of Metheny’s
compositions with warm brass sounds and
lush harmonies giving the piece a very special
texture. The final selection of the evening was
“See The World,” a real up-tempo contemporary
swinger that was dominated by the
excellent trumpet section but which also
featured another excellent contribution from
tenorist Kevin Sun. The audience rewarded the
ensemble with well-deserved, thunderous and
sustained applause.
The next Princeton Concert Jazz Ensemble
performance is scheduled for Saturday,
ebruary, 28 at 8 PM at Richardson Auditorium.
New Jersey City University,
December 8
TRUMPETER MARVIN STAMM AND
UNIVERSITY ENSEMBLES What was once a
small state teacher’s college is now a vibrant
university with many out-of-state students and
a first-rate Jazz Studies Program. This night
was yet another marvelous concert with three
excellent ensembles. Leading off was the Chick
Corea Combo dedicated to the pianist’s music.
Mr. Corea’s infectious “Spain” with arrangement
by faculty ensemble mentor Joel
Weiskopf was a great choice to set the table for
the musical feast to follow. The quartet of
Jason Teborek (piano), Mike Preem (bass),
Ramsey Norman (drums) and Jeremy Fratti
(tenor) could not be distinguished from a top
professional group showcasing Jason’s obvious
exceptional talent. The second selection, “Light
as a Feather” was a major departure from the
previous as Jason’s impressive arrangement
produced an ethereal feel made possible by the
sensitive lines from Jeremy’s soprano sax.
Diversity seemed to be the watchword this
night as The Afro-Cuban Ensemble took the
stage to create Latin jazz excitement. The octet
was led by trombonist Pablo Rodriguez (a
2008 NJJS scholarship winner) and his was the
dominant instrument in the classic Latin brass
sound that we associate with the great Tito
Puente. Vocalist Vanessa Perea provided fire to
February 2009
JerseyArticlesJazz
make “Camina y Prende El Fogon” really cook
as she used her voice more like a musical
instrument on this and the ensuing number,
“Agua Pa Mi.” Ben Guadalupe’s spicy trumpet
stirred the sauce on this second tune as the
rhythm players got us moving in our seats.
What fun! I think we need a dose of Latin Jazz
in all of our concerts.
The first selection for the 18-piece NJCU Jazz
Ensemble was like nothing you’ve never heard.
“Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” is a turbocharged
tongue-in-cheek Gordon Goodwin
composition. Of course, it’s up-tempo with
something for everyone, and it requires highdecibel
screaming trumpets for success. The
solo spotlight shone on trombonist Pablo
Rodriguez, who provided an essential ingredient
on this clever and demanding chart. This
was followed by Coltrane’s beautiful mellow
ballad “Central Park West,” featuring tenorist
Jeremy Fratti’s marvelous extended solo over
soft full band harmonies as arranged by John
Fedchock. Al Cohn’s “Lady Chatterley’s
Mother” was next on the list. The great Gerry
Mulligan frequently performed this lively tune
and in this version we had a hot trumpet solo
from Justin Hernandez and a dazzling passage
for saxes only. Concluding the first half we had
Thad Jones’s “To You” —
one of my all-time
favorite jazz ballads.
Manhattan Transfer has
recorded a marvelous
version and in pure
instrumental form it
presents a lush harmonic
sense with voices
moving throughout
the band.
After the break, special
guest Marvin Stamm
made his appearance.
Mr. Stamm is now 70
years old but he still has
the chops of a young
lion. He became a star of
the Stan Kenton band
right out of college and
has gone on to a
fabulous career playing
with several other
famous bands and long
list hall-of-fame
musicians. He still
maintains a busy
schedule, performing
with his quartet and
conducting clinics at
numerous universities and high schools across
the U.S. and abroad. Marvin is a wonderful
player and we quickly appreciated that fact as
he soloed almost throughout Thad Jones’s
“Low Down.” Marvin picked up his flugelhorn
for Ray Brown’s “When You Go” to deliver the
difficult long lines of this Latin feeling ballad.
This was followed by a swinging version of “I
Love You” which allowed several of the band
members to show their chops. Professor Pete
McGuiness came on stage to conduct his fine
arrangement of Horace Silver’s “Peace,” as
Marvin continued his clinic on ballad playing
with flugelhorn while giving bassist Mike
Preem a chance to shine. The penultimate
selection was “Svensson” by Swedish composer
Lars Jansson. “Secret Love” seemed an unusual
choice to conclude the concert but the Jack
Cortner up-tempo arrangement of the
original ballad worked well to send us home
with great admiration of Mr. Stamm’s
virtuosity and an enhanced opinion of the
NJCU ensemble.
You hard-core jazz aficionados will want to make
plans to attend the Phil Woods Concert and
Master Class on March 30, 2009 at Ingalls Recital
continued on page 32
Skippers
PLANE STREET PUB
Newark’s Best Kept Live Music Secret!
Serving great food. NO cover. $10 minimum.
Mondays Live Jazz Jam (8PM–Midnight) hosted by
Newark’s own Eugene “Goldie” Goldston (Vocalist)
Greg Bufford (Drums); Radam Schwartz (Keyboard)
Tuesdays TBA
Visit our website or call for information
Wednesdays TBA
Visit our website or call for information
Thursdays Featured Live Jazz Artist (8PM–Midnight))
Check calendar/call 973.733.9300
Fridays Karaoke Night (8PM–Midnight))
hosted by the talented Denise Hamilton
Saturdays Available for Special Events
Sundays Live Jazz Matinee Sessions 4:00–8:00PM
with Radam Schwartz (Organ)
304 University Ave., Newark, NJ 07102
973.733.9300 skippersplanestreetpub.com
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