Jazz Musicians Groovin’ High

The Jazz Ensemble at UCSB held its end-of-session concerts in early December, despite being the first day of the Thomas Fire with smoke in the air and evacuations. The 50 musicians and four vocalists range from professionals to students forming into seven mini-orchestral jazz bands. The bands are led by Jazz Ensemble director Jon Nathan and music coach Matt Perko on drums, and composer-conductor Brandon Rolle on guitar. The Jazz Ensemble has their own YouTube channel as well. 

I arrived for the evening sessions at Geiringer Hall as musicians warmed up in the rehearsal rooms, a heady experience to hear overlays of Charlie Parker and jazz great Horace Silver. Silver formed his own quintet in 1956 following a stint with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers,with what became the standard small group line-up of tenor saxophone, trumpet, piano, bass, and drums, and thus so with the UCSB Jazz Ensemble mini-orchestras. The audience was the usual eclectic mix of jazz lovers and parents, with music department chair Scott Marcus offering his ear.

Starting off the concert was the Supersax Ensemble, with Collin McCrary, Timothy Xu and Andrew Zakoor on alto saxophone; Milo Weising, Noah Smith, Nick DiPierro, and Noah Waltman on tenor saxophone; Mikey Zhitnitsky, baritone saxophone; Danny Toomey, guitar; Reno Behnken, piano; Mitchell Solkov, stand-up bass; Tom Cristiani, drums; Angel Hernandez, trumpet; and Julian Marks on trombone. The set list dedicated to jazz great Charlie Parker included: “Yardbird Suite”, “Kansas City Blues”,” Chasin’ the Bird”, “Parker’s Mood”, and of course, “Scrapple from the Apple”. The band members, who got the set list together in fewer than 4 weeks, seemed excited as they began the set, and they breathed easier into it after a strong and impressive all-sax harmony on “Yardbird Suite”. 

Once warmed up to mood, they went on with the usual jazz chuck and jive, trading solos with snide respect for audience appeal. In sum, the stand-out musicians were clear: Toomey with his dreamy-drifting expression played mostly eyes closed and seriously on point whether he was backing up the front line of sax players, hangin’ with Solkov on bass, or coming out for his solo ever modest but down-right there. Solkov didn’t need the sheet music in front of him and stood holding his bass like the girl of his dreams and a look of joy. His strong bass lines provided downbeat liner notes to the pianist and drummer. Smith and Waltman were keeping their reeds smooth and clear. Milo on tenor hit it on his “Scrapple” solo.

Following the Supersax Ensemble, there were three more jazz bands with the addition of a female singer. The bands each had their own persona, which added to a mix of styles and mood. Staying through to the end proved fruitful with outstanding singer Isabel Petty, whose stage presence, poise, and use of vocals as an instrument of jazz, brought the house down with the finale. Mentions go to vocalists Kelly He and Ciara Giordani; trumpet Kinamee Rhodes; trombone Cameron Swanson; guitarists Soham Mistry and Lucas Brooker; sax player Josh Sheltzer; pianists Sinan Isik and Stewart Engart; bass player Rex Fukuchi; the outstanding stand-up bassist Nina Spring; and drummer Evan Monroe.

Laudable salutations to Jon Nathan, who humbly stated in a post concert interview, “I take no credit, the musicians did the work. I just provide the opportunity for them to get together, form their bands, and hopefully forge new relationships and play.” Well done, Indeed!