Woodwinds: Colin Mason, Karen Baston, Greg Bashara, DJ Eisenhart, Frank Nelson
Trumpets: Keith Fiala (lead), Tim Cates, Byron Swann, Lee “Sparky” Thomason, Denise Doyle
Trombones: Gary Smith (lead), Gannon Phillips, Brent Mathesen, Cameron Aiken
Piano: Dave Wild, Benjamin Irom
Guitar: Reese Liles
Bass: Vince Bryce
Drums: Michael Morris
Percussion: Hayes Bunch
Director: Tom Fairlie
Technical Director: Tim Kidder
Jazz/funk legend Randy Brecker, fresh off of winning a Grammy for his 2008 album “Randy in Brasil”, was this year’s featured artist on Saturday night at the Temple Jazz Festival, backed by the Temple Jazz Orchestra, directed by Tom Fairlie. Mr. Brecker arrived on Friday afternoon and conducted clinics and rehearsals, and participated in the Friday night jam session (together with Bill Watrous). Although I was not able to attend the Saturday performance, which was reportedly played to an enthusiastic near-capacity crowd , I attended the Friday afternoon rehearsal and was privileged to meet Mr. Brecker and take some up-close photos of him and TJO.
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| From 200903 Temple Jazz Fest -- Friday |
The first half of the program featured the Temple Jazz Orchestra alone and consisted of:
1. “Blues and the Abscessed Tooth” (Matt Catingub)
2. “It’ll Count if it Goes” (Gordon Goodwin)
3. “Molten Swing” (Buster and Benny Moten/arr Ernie Wilkins)
4. “Who You Callin’ Predictable?” (Gordon Goodwin)
5. “Magic Flea” (Sammy Nestico)
After an intermission Randy Brecker took the stage and performed these numbers, backed by TJO:
1. “Some Skunk Funk” (Brecker/arr. Vince Mendoza) -- Mr. Brecker mainly kept to the repertoire that gained him fame performing with his brother, Michael, as the “Brecker Brothers”. His set kicked off with this upbeat, fast and funky favorite (which, coincidentally, is the title track from another Grammy-winning album in 2005). Vincent Bryce played electric bass on this tune and Ben Irom electric keyboard. D.J. Eisenhart contributed an alto sax solo to go along with Brecker’s masterful trumpet.
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| From 200903 Temple Jazz Fest -- Friday |
2. “Sponge” (Brecker/arr. Mendoza) -- Dave Wild took over the piano duties on another upbeat “Brecker Brothers” tune with D.J. Eisenhart again taking an alto sax solo.
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| From 200903 Temple Jazz Fest -- Friday |
3. “Freefall” (Brecker/arr. Mendoza) -- This song is less funky and more of a fast, 4/4 swing tune and is also included on the 2005 release “Some Skunk Funk”. Several TJO musicians contributed solos on this number, including Colin Mason on soprano sax, Karen Baston on flute, Dave Wild on keyboard, Lee “Sparky” Thomason on trumpet, and D.J. Eisenhart on alto sax.
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| From 200903 Temple Jazz Fest -- Friday |
4. “Secret Heart” (Brecker/arr. Jim McNeely) -- This “Brecker Brothers“ ballad had a “shuffle” beat and was originally released on their 1994 recording “Out of the Loop“. Dave Wild assumed the piano duties, and the trumpets and trombones played muted. Colin Mason contributed a soprano sax solo.
5. “My Ideal“(Robin, Whiting & Chase/arr. Maria Schneider) -- This jazz standard was the only non-original tune on the program. Mr. Brecker played an extended solo and Irom took over on piano duties. The woodwinds changed out for three flutes, a clarinet and a bari sax, and the entire trumpet section played flugelhorns, although the trumpets and saxes came back towards the end.
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| From 200903 Temple Jazz Fest -- Friday |
6. “There’s a Mingus a Monk’ Us” (Brecker/arr. Frank Reinshagen) -- This tune, from Mr. Brecker’s solo album “In the Idiom,” had a very complicated, chromatic melody with syncopated beats and rhythm changes. Ben Irom played a piano solo and Greg Bashara a tenor sax solo, but the main melody was handled by Mr. Brecker’s trumpet. After rehearsing the song everyone was kind of wiping the collective sweat off of their brows, so to speak, and Mr. Brecker commented, “My friend Frank was pretty drunk when he wrote this,” which elicited chuckles from the orchestra.
Click here for more pics:
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| 200903 Temple Jazz Fest -- Friday |
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