Pianist Mulgrew Miller displayed a casually superb musicality and a staggeringly impressive command of his instrument during his performance Saturday, the final night of the 2005 Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival held last week at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the UMSL campus. Add some big-band pyrotechnics by the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, directed by bassist and UMSL music professor Jim Widner and augmented by some crowd-pleasing guest soloists, and the end result was an enjoyable evening of music.
The SLJO opened the evening with an uptempo swing version of “Begin the Beguine” as arranged by Bill Holman for Doc Severinsen’s Tonight Show band, and ran it down it like the pros they are, playing tight, in time and in tune. If you dug Severinsen’s band, you’d like the SLJO, who also would seem to have appeal for fans of bands such as Maynard Ferguson, Rob McConnell’s Boss Brass, Stan Kenton and the latter-day Herds of Woody Herman.
Soloists included trumpeter Andy Tichenor, who handled the high note stuff with aplomb (save for one unfortunate missed note that had him visibly grimacing); trombonist Wayne Coniglio, who delivered a supple, buttery solo on his own nicely crafted arrangement of J.J. Johnson’s “Lament”; and the always able trombonist Brett Stamps. Hugh Jones was the standout in the sax section, delivering a well-burnished tenor solo on “Blues for Red”.
Pianist Ken Kehner didn’t get much time in the spotlight, but made the most of his introductory solo on “Blues For Red,” spinning out several piquant blues choruses with extended harmonies that seemed on the verge of lapsing into dissonance, yet always resolved back to the blues. Drummer Miles Vandiver drove the large ensemble effectively, and yet was able to scale down his volume and intensity without losing swing for a trio number later in the show. He’s an outstanding young percussionist, and I know that his dad Larry, also a fine drummer and singer that I’ve had the pleasure of working with a few times, must be extremely proud of him.
As a bassist, Widner has the rhythmic drive, agility and meaty sound (albeit with amplification that was a bit boomy in the extreme lower registers) needed to anchor a big band. As a bandleader, he’s done a good job of picking some charts that have wide appeal and then welding the musicians into a coherent ensemble in what is undoubtedly a limited amount of regular rehearsal time. And as director of the Festival, he deserves kudos for a successful event that also included two days of performances by local high school jazz bands, a concert by UMSL’s own jazz big band on Thursday and a performance by vocalist Marilyn Maye on Friday.
But as master of ceremonies, Widner could definitely benefit from some judicious editing and a little more rehearsal – he tended to ramble a bit in places, hesitate in others, and his congratulatory rhetoric, though understandable under the circumstances, strained credibility when he proclaimed the musicians, guest soloists and support staff as not just the best in the city, but in the entire world. (This train of thought makes me want to write a whole essay about the presentational styles of jazz musicians and their effectiveness, or lack of same, but that will have to wait for another day.)
Performing with the SLJO were several guests who had served as adjudicators and clinicians for the student bands participating in the festival. Chris Vadala, best known for his tenure with Chuck Mangione, displayed virtuoso technique on both alto and soprano saxes, with fleet fingers and a bright sound that was exceptionally well rounded in the altissimo range, but gave the impression of skimming over the music with showy licks rather than really digging in. Trumpeter Jay Daversa, who usually plies his trade in Los Angeles studios, seemed to be having fun on stage as he tossed off some rapid-fire runs that recalled Clifford Brown and Freddie Hubbard. And Jeff Jarvis did yeoman duty all night in the trumpet section as well as contributing a couple of succinct solos.
After intermission, Mulgrew Miller came out and, in a pleasingly low key manner, displayed mind-bending piano technique featuring some Tatumesque pseudo-stride and unison runs with both hands. Mulgrew’s recorded output is prolific, and from hearing him on a just a few of his many recordings I somehow had the impression he was something of a blues-based player. That impression was thoroughly dispelled by this concert; now I think the more apt comparisons are pianists like Tatum and Oscar Peterson, who, like Miller, often suspend time and even a song’s original chord progression with discursive modulations overlaid with layers of baroque melodic filigree. Miller’s approach revealed a number of interesting variations on “Black Coffee” and sounded wonderful on “Body and Soul,” “What Is This Thing Called Love?” and a Jobim tune. But his approach to “Monk’s Dream,” though certainly impressive from a technical standpoint, didn’t quite work for me, as the pianist’s prerogatives overwhelmed Monk’s characteristic harmonic and rhythmic quirkiness.
Miller brought Widner and Vandiver back out for a pleasant, if unremarkable, trio version of “Satin Doll” and then the entire SLJO and guest soloists returned for the finale, an uptempo, samba-fied version of “Blue Bossa” that served as a blowing vehicle to let just about everyone get in some final licks.
I had never been to the TouPAC before, and it’s a nice spot for a concert – sight lines are good, the seating is comfy and the sound, at least down on the floor where I sat, was clear and, after some initial adjustments, well-balanced. (Those in the balcony undoubtedly heard things a little differently, but I didn’t get up there to check out the sound. Maybe next time.)
This was the second year for the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, and next year’s event is already scheduled for April 20-21, 2006. Based on Saturday night’s concert, I’d say it’s a welcome addition to the list of local jazz events (though I wish they’d do something different with the name to avoid confusion with the better-known US Bank St. Louis Jazz Festival, held in June at Shaw Park in Clayton.)
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