Jazz is a diverse art so attending a concert is always an interesting event. I managed to squeeze my way into the Hard Bop Jazz Ensemble Group to attend a concert they gave at the South Florida University campus some weeks ago. It was an interesting event, since this group is renowned as amongst the best in the area and is packed with several emerging musicians of the highest calibre.
The Hard Bop Jazz Ensemble performed at several events of note, and these include major jazz festivals held in Switzerland, Italy and Holland where they always garnered considerable praise and critical acclaim. The group has also received several awards, especially during the 2009 North Texas Jazz Festival
The concert got off to a great start with a composition by Miles Davis that fairly leapt off the pages. The soloists were all of an extremely high standard with the playing of the drums particularly effusive and highly intriguing. The acoustic of the hall was also quite excellent and the level of interplay between audience and musicians was consistently of the highest quality.
Lizzie Shipton ‘It’s Not’ and Dhyana by Tina Brooks are rather complex works that brought the best out of Kenyatta and his band. Shipton also sang her own piece that was very well portrayed and highly emotional at times. Joni Mitchell’s ‘Cherokee Louise’ is another moving work that has Kenyatta almost in a trance while the moving motor rhythms of Afro Blue by Mongo Santamaria were also hugely interesting.
‘Bolivia’ by Cedar Walton was another very intriguing work that was very well played indeed and here one has to hand it to Kamau Kenyatta who brought out the intrinsic character of the work. The Christmas Carol was also very beautiful as was Lilac Sunset and Wrunny Wraccoon, both works of a highly diverse origin extremely well played in all departments.
The music then went a few centuries into the past with the ‘Battle Pavan’ by Tielman Susato in an arrangement by Bob Margiolis. This pompous work also played on the skills of the wind ensemble’s musicians and was also winningly done. Greenwillow Portrait by Mark Williams who passed away a few years ago in 2008 was a poignant reminder of this composer’s skills in creating a perfect atmosphere for wind instruments. This piece was directed by Joshua Buckrucker who also gave a folksy aspect to the nostalgically titled ‘Kentucky 1800’ replete with folk themes and melodies. One had to admire Clare Grundman’s work that came across very well indeed, full of inflexions and tempo observations.
After a longish interval we were back with a modern work, this time ‘Early Light’ directed by Christopher Nelson as a guest conductor. Carol Bremer’s style is a cross between traditionalist aspects and brash modernism that came across very well indeed in Nelson’s interpretation.
The major work on the programme was Vincent Persichett’s Sixth Symphony for band. This was commissioned and premiered by Clark Mitts and the Washington University Band and the first performance took place at the MENC Convention in St Louis on April 15 1956. The work is styled in four movements each marked with a traditional method and Persichetti initially did not want to introduce the word band in the title for reasons of quality. The four movements mix sonata form with twelve tone excerpts and the result is a highly engaging work. The group played extremely well throughout, and Joshua Buckrucker’s direction certainly imbued the piece with several strong elements that were extremely well received by the numerous audience. The final Vivace was also particularly enticing in its joyous sense of commotion.
Works Cited:
Fairfax, Brian (1981). "Orchestral Music". In Foreman, Lewis (ed.). The Percy Grainger Companion. London: Thames Publishing. ISBN 0-905210-12-3.
