The Plymouth State College Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combos A and B put on a concert on Thursday, April 17, featuring six songs by the ensemble and two songs from each jazz combo. Directed by Scott Grant, the evening proved to be a wealth of talent and entertainment. The first song, A Hunk A Hunk by Thad Jones, started out with just the piano, guitars, and drums. Slowly, however, the rest of the ensemble began to filter onst age by section and begin to play. First came the trombones, then the trumpets, then the saxes. The song had a variety of solos, all of which were impressive. The second number, ‘Round Midnight by Thelonius Monk, featured Jessica Ripley on the flugelhorn. It was a slower number, which really emphasized the smooth sound to her playing and good tone. The rest of the trumpet section also used a variety of mutes to create many different sounds as a strong background to Ripley’s solo. The last number the ensemble played before the combos was Sister Sadie by Horace Silver a faster tune with several outstanding solos.
The next part of the program featured Jazz Combo B. Their first number was So May it Secretly Begin by Pat Metheny, which was a slower tune. Even though the song was not as upbeat as some of the other ones, it still had a lot of energy and moved quickly. The second song was the first of my two favorites in the show, Joy Spring. It was incredibly interesting and really had my attention because of the intensity and mood of the song.
After came Jazz Combo A. Their first song, What is This Thing called Love by Cole Porter, started with the piano and then added the rest of the group in. This song also featured the saxes going back and forth with solos, not in a competing manner, just as a gentle, back and forth motion between the two. Their other selection, Fables of Faubus by Charles Mingus, was a slow song that moved slowly and serenely.
After the two combos played, the jazz ensemble came back on stage and performed three more numbers. The first, and my second favorite, Spain by Chick Corea, started out slow and then quickly became a song with high intensity. The last two selections, Anthropology by Charlie Parker and Nutville by Horace Silver, were excellent selections that were played very well and were an excellent way to end the evening.