19th Annual Weekend of Jazz

The 19^th annual Beavercreek Weekend of Jazz

     For anyone reading these observations, who may possibly have read previous postings, you are aware that I believe that the Beavercreek Weekend of Jazz is a fantastic opportunity to hear what is going on in the jazz world in and around the Dayton area. Saturday performances begin at 8:00 a.m. and every 25 minutes you hear another band until the final performance, usually between 4:30 & 5:00. Each performance is adjudicated and bands receive feedback immediately after. This year it was almost 5:30 before the last performance ended. While I did not count them myself, announcers all day long said 26 bands plus 2 college bands. It boils down to nine hours of hearing jazz performance after jazz performance. Hats off to the Beavercreek jazz department! Always in the past, there has been a multiple page program briefly listing each band, director, playlist and names of students that will solo. Unfortunately, this year there was a sheet with the names of each band and what time and which stage on which they would perform. Band directors referred to these programs all day long unaware that attendees did not have the usual programs. Some band directors did not say even one word through the entire performance of their band so no way to know the names of the songs, the names of the students that soloed or who arranged the songs. The music was still great but it was a very different experience with no programs.

Lebanon Junior High School Jazz Band

     The day kicked off with this junior high jazz band that played two songs. The clarinet solo on the second song was particularly enjoyable.

Lakota Eastside Jazz Ensemble

     The first selection contained the trombone section playing together followed by a sax soli. The band projected a confident big band sound and had a female double bass player. One selection had a female vocalist. The director thanked the kids for getting up so early “before jazz even exists” and then the band tore it up on the final selection by Thad Jones, a tune entitled “Us.”

Kings High School Jazz Band

     The female double bassist soloed to start off the first song, a Stan Kenton tune entitled Pegasus and arranged by Stan Levy. Played with a definite Big Band sound (how else could you play Kenton and do it justice). The third selection contained some nice congas and the band did give an excellent treatment to Joe Zawinul’s Birdland! This band director always shows up to wow the audience.

Edgewood High School Jazz Ensemble

     Watermelon Man was the first performance for this band which contained some nice guitar and a bari-sax solo. The band played very well together and the young lady playing claves and cabasa really made the song special. As the director announced Killer Joe, one of my favorite tunes, I was headed out the door to the Bistro stage….

Beavercreek High School Jazz Lab – (on the Bistro stage)

     Having to split time between the Auditorium stage and the Bistro stage proved challenging but I did manage to catch one tune here. With no program I cannot provide the name of the song but it did provide for lots of soloists and the band had a particularly strong trumpet section. The interesting part of the Bistro stage is that once the band finished, two adjudicators worked with the musicians to enhance some of their performance and give them new ideas.                                                  

Lebanon High School Jazz Band

     Lebanon started off with Caravan, seemed like they were going for dissonance, it was a challenging arrangement and all came together well with a very talented female double bassist. Next challenge was Oliver Nelson’s Black, Brown & Beautiful with an alto sax solo by Jacob Wheeler anchoring the tune. They closed with a very big band sound on Blues & More with the trombones playing together and a sax soli. I know this band director personally and he always comes ready to play, thank you Director Iannelli.

Lakota East 2 O’Clock Jazz Ensemble

     The band started off with what appeared to be a medley which contained lots of solos. This band had two guitars, one male, one female. The drum solo, by Danny Vossler,  reminded you of the Gene Krupa style. The next selection was Harlem Nocturne with a very nice intro which set up the sweet swinging of the band. Nolen Collins played the alto sax part throughout the song and may have played the best solo of the day. The band had a lot of fun with their final selection, Manteca!

U.C.-  Cincinnati Youth Jazz Orchestra

     A high octane intro reminiscent of Stan Kenton got everybody’s attention but the director said not a word – no naming of  student soloists, nothing. A nice trumpet solo was included in the second selection and 2 bari-sax solos opened the third selection, which I recognized as Moanin’ by Charles Mingus – still, not one word from the director – she must have thought the band reputation preceded them, OR – just maybe, she was counting on all the information she submitted for the program which attendees did not have – nonetheless, student recognition for solos would have been appreciated.

Olentangy Orange Jazz Band

     They kicked off with Basie’s April in Paris with 9 saxophones but only did one encore. The band sounded professional in every sense and followed up with a Stevie Wonder song entitled Don’t You Worry Bout a Thing with 2 bass players. They followed that with another Stevie Wonder tune, Superstition, however; the name of the next song escaped me – and no word from this director either – was beginning to think it was a contest between directors as to who could say the least. I did recognize their final number as Stompin’ at the Savoy with some very nice piano work and both bassists got to solo!

Miami Valley School Jazz Band

     They kicked off with Afro Blue and followed that with the Bobby Timmons version of Moanin’ (versus the Charles Mingus version earlier by the UC band). There was a bari-sax solo – the band was small but mighty – 6 saxophones, 1 clarinet & 1 trumpet. The final selection was Maiden Voyage and gave the band to show their big band chops, plus the clarinetist finally got a chance to solo. I am confident of the names of these tunes because the director told us…..so the no speaking contest was clearly over.

Magsig Middle School Jazz Ensemble

     I always look forward to Tom Pompei (long time drummer for the Dayton Jazz Orchestra) and his direction of this school band but this year the baton must have been passed [directors baton, not track relay baton] to Josh Carpenter. They started with the Booker T and the MGs hit song, Green Onions, which had some very nice vibes and a tuba solo! This band was playing way beyond their years. They followed up with Neil Hefti’s Creeper and then knocked it out of the park with Dean Sorenson’s  Grabbin’ Some Air.

Lakota West Jazz Combo – (Bistro stage)

     I had not expected to catch this group on the Bistro stage as their performance was nearly simultaneous with Magsig in the Auditorium but when I stepped out for lunch, lo and behold, they were doing their final song, Nica’s Dream, lucky me. The piano player killed it and a sax solo was pretty darn good. The combo sounded very professional. And once again, adjudicators worked with the band to help them with ideas and options to enhance the song.

                                                           

UD Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Willie Morris

     Stan Kenton alumni, John Harner (whom you can catch at The Phone Booth Lounge on the third Sundays of the month) was unable to bring his band in at the last moment so the UD Jazz Ensemble ended up with a featured role. They were clickin’ on all cylinders! I would call it a professional big band sound with some youthful spice and zest. There was some nice trombone section work on A Letter from Home and that was followed by a sax soli. They also tackled Stan Kenton’s Artistry in Percussion featuring Bradley Cordonia on drums. The band also had a female singer who reignited the meaning of a torch song with her rendition of Cry Me a River. I stepped out to catch the Bistro stage again but the band brought 5 sax players down front to kick off Bohemian Rhapsody and this was followed by excellent work by the trombone section.

Beavercreek High School Jazz Ensemble – (Bistro stage)

     I still only managed to catch the last tune but that was the Jobim tune, Corcovado. The group consisted of a piano, bass, trombone, tenor sax, guitar and a female vocalist. The bass player had turned the song into sort of a Calypso version and the combo played energetically. Adjudicators also worked with the combo once their performance was complete.

Lakota West Jazz Ensemble

     The first song may have been Jazz Samba – the guitar and drum solo were noteworthy. The next song featured the female piano player who was also the vocalist on The Nearness of You. The drummer mightily held forth on the final number, Dizzy Gillespie’s Birks Works.

Beavercreek High School Jazz Two

     The first tune was Sammy Nestico’s Switch in Time which included an outstanding and flamboyant trombone solo. This band did its absolute best to keep swingin’ and had probably the best rhythm guitarist of the day and a big finish! Next up was Blackbird which featured four flugelhorns and a soloist played as sort of a shuffle. The final song was Salt City Samba by Andrew Neu with a sax soli, a bari-sax solo and an outstanding drum solo. The band was tight on this tune with a confident big band sound AND a bass trombone solo!

Miami East High School Jazz Band

     The band kicked things off with a Gordon Goodwin tune entitled Hit the Bricks and I am happy to say, with a bari-sax solo with a female guitarist who played a flawless solo. The drummer had impeccable timing. Next up was a pretty straight forward rendition of Perdido and then a strong finish with All In by Lennie Niehaus.

Bexley High School Jazz Band

     The band director explained to attendees that he knew they were not going to have a trumpet player so they chose 3 songs by Charles Mingus as he pointed out that Mingus did not originally have a trumpet player. Natalie Noble admirably played the part of Charles Mingus on double bass. While I can recognize Mingus, I am not always on the money with song titles, however; I believe the first song was Fables of Faubus – Natalie Noble started this song off perfectly. Of course you can’t really play Mingus without a bari-sax solo. Other musicians in the band were 2 trombonists, 3 other sax players, a guitarist, drummer, pianist, vibraphone player and a percussionist.  I am pretty sure that the final selection was Better Get Hit in Your Soul. The entire band played well together and did a very credible job of presenting the music of Charles Mingus. This final song contained a good vibes solo and an excellent drum solo.

Incarnation Jazz Band (from Centerville)

     This was a 6^th and 7^th grade band that was only in their third year. They played Jada, Common Riffs and The Judge which was played as a shuffle. There were 8 musicians plus the director on keyboards. Hats off for putting it all out there on stage.

Carroll High School Jazz Band

     This band had a female drummer and a female electric bass player. They kicked off with a variation of Autumn Leaves entitled All dem Leaves and brought out a vocalist for the Bobby Darin hit, Beyond the Sea. They closed with the Blood, Sweat & Tears hit, Spinning Wheel. This band projected a straightforward big band sound.

Stivers School for the Arts Jazz Orchestra

     At a recent Terrell Stafford performance at UD I saw Claude Thomas, the only director of the Stivers Jazz Band I had ever known until he moved on and Scott Gastineau took over some years ago. Scott moved on to Centerville schools this past year and now there is Ryan Griffin. Director Griffin has kept the outstanding musical performance of the Stivers Jazz Band intact. The first selection was Duke Ellington’s Solid Old Man. This band is still swingin’ – I cannot confirm the name of the second tune but I thought it was the Benny Golson tune entitled Little Karen. Their third selection, Pleased to be There, started with the rhythm section, piano, bass and drums and contained an interesting clarinet solo. They finished strong with another Golson tune entitled Straw Boss – enjoyed the sax soli and there was a nice bass line laid down throughout the entire song.

Beavercreek High School Jazz Band One

     Were the Saturday jazz band performances a competition (which they clearly are not), most years you can say they saved the best for last ….. and that is usually the top Beavercreek Jazz Band. I remember a couple of years when judges would have been challenged to pick between about three different schools but this year Beavercreek’s Jazz One knocked it out of the ballpark. They started off with Kenton’s Malaguena and I am pretty sure that somewhere, Stan was listening with a big smile on his face. This band contained four musicians playing the instrument that Stan Kenton made famous, the mellaphonium, and an excellent drummer to really make this song work! They followed that with Gordon Goodwin’s Beauty and the Beast. Keeping in the character of Malaguena, the band next tackled Maynard Ferguson’s Crusin’ for a Bluesin’ with a nice extended bass solo and a wildly exuberant female alto sax solo! The song ended with what might be called a “Gordon Goodwin” bop sax finish with an emphasis on the bari-sax. The final selection was introduced as having started off as an electric bass funk solo entitled Chunk of Funk but had been expanded into a piece for the entire band in one way or the other. It was quite a piece, the composer, Pete Rousch, was actually in the audience. The performance contained a guitar solo, drum solo and then a whole band big band finish!

Central State University Jazz Ensemble

     My initial thought as Hal Melia and his ensemble took the stage was “boy and I glad I am not the one following the previous band!” but as always, never underestimate Hal Melia. As I say on my radio show (89.5 FM WDPS on Wednesdays at Noon), Hal Melia is one of the most incredible jazz musicians in the entire area of Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton and probably parts well beyond. Turns out he can also direct. He explained that the program at CSU focuses on jazz through improvisation. With Hal on piano, there were students playing congas, drums, clarinet, trumpet, alto sax, tenor sax, trombone and a vocalist. They started off with the vocalist on Autumn Leaves with trombone, clarinet and drums making their marks on the tune. They also performed Joe Henderson’s Recorde Me, Stanley Turrentine’s Sugar and Duke Ellington’s In a Mellow Tone. What a day of jazz!