Variety is the Spice of Jazz

An all-string trio with a twist, a groove sextet and a bop quartet are this year’s HSU Jazz Combos, performing a mix of classics and original tunes on Friday, November 14 in the Fulkerson Recital Hall.
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As usual, the three combos are the best of this year’s players, each group named after the day of the week they usually practice.

The Tuesday Trio is Drew McGowan, violin; Michael See, guitar; and Josh Boronkay, bass. “They have an unusual all-strings, drummer-less lineup that is often associated with the great Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt and so-called ‘gypsy jazz’, but they’re a little different,” said Dan Aldag, HSU music professor and “coach” of the combos. “They play bebop tunes like Dizzy Gillespie’s A Night In Tunisia and Oscar Pettiford’s Tricotism. They’re also playing an as-yet untitled original by their guitarist, Michael See. The trio has developed a number of different ways to compensate for the drums usually associated with modern jazz.”

The Wednesday Sextet is Ari Davie, trumpet; Brian Jones, alto sax; Leo Echazábel, tenor sax and bass clarinet; Charlie Sleep, guitar; Cullen Miller, bass; and Gabriel Ben-Shalom. “Their music is frequently groove-oriented, with elements of both ’50s/‘60s hard bop and today’s groove or acid jazz,” Aldag said. The sextet performs Clifford Brown’s Sandu, Joe Zawinul’s Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, Freddie Hubbard’s Red Clay and Pat Metheny’s _Midwestern Night’s Dream_—“each imaginatively rearranged by the sextet.”

The Friday Quartet is Isaac Williams, tenor sax; Aber Miller, piano; Michael Dieter, bass and Abraham Chase-Muhammad, drums. They play in a contemporary post-bop style and will be performing Joshua (made famous by Miles Davis), Swinging At The Haven (by Ellis Marsalis), Nirvana’s In Bloom, and a new tune by the group’s pianist Aber Miller, called Requiem Pacifique.

The HSU Jazz Combos perform on Friday, November 14 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $7 general, $3 students/seniors, from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Free to HSU students with ID. http://HSUMusic.blogspot.com.