October 8, 2015
On Friday, Oct. 2, an exuberant crowd attended Hamilton’s celebrated tradition of the Fallcoming Jazz Concert. This year, the Nicki Parrott Trio headlined the annual extravaganza with two sets of swingin’ arrangements and tasteful soloing. In addition to being led by the dually talented bassist/vocalist Nicki Parrott, the trio featured Rossano Sportiello on piano and Eddie Metz Jr. on drums. No stranger to the Barn stage and Hamilton community, legendary guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli brought additional excitement to the evening.
The Nicki Parrott Trio initiated the night’s festivities. These early numbers, which the artists called “A Dream Medley,” highlighted the group’s strong communication. Furthermore, the shifting contexts of slow ballads and up-tempo big band swing style arrangements allowed Sportiello and Parrott to establish themselves as effective soloists. While both artists frequently evoked a desire to keep their solos simple and melodic, they nevertheless managed to integrate spontaneity. Sportiello’s tendency, especially on Jimmy Van Heusan’s “Darn That Dream,” to precisely execute lyrical melodies while maintaining colorful block chords reminded the listener of the harmonic beauty of Oscar Peterson and the emotive complexity of Fred Hirsch. Similarly, Pizzarelli further embellished an evening of block chordal melodies and clean, acoustically rich tone. The first set’s penultimate number featured Pizzarelli exciting fast picking and palm muting technique. It starkly resembled the legendary Les Paul, with whom Parrott had the pleasure of performing on many occasions.
Parrott established her strong presence as a group leader and multitalented artist early in evening. She effectively held the harmonic foundations of the trio. However, although she was an extraordinary instrumentalist in her own right, her skills as a vocalist met much praise. Rogers and Hart’s “Where or When” perhaps best displayed her artistic versatility. Not only did she sing and play the upright bass, but she also scatted. The tune highlighted her effective and clear interpretation of the words and melody along with her tender, almost Peggy Lee-esque vocals.
For much of the evening, the trio’s arrangements rarely strayed from conventional melodic interpretations. However, that did not make them any less creative. The trio performed an exciting blues jam evolving from a classically authentic rendition of J.S. Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.” The result was a number that allowed a necessary and exciting divergence from an evening of well-known standards.
In addition to his soloing, Pizzarelli further distinguished himself as a timekeeper. His four-beat rhythm technique echoed the style of legendary Basie band guitarist Freddie Green. At times, such as when he needed to comp a soloist, the style seemed clunky and outdated. However, in some traditional swing numbers such as Count Basie’s “Shiny Stockings,” Pizzarelli used this style with extreme effectiveness. He cemented a sense of rhythmic cohesion with Metz on every beat, and thereby established a sense of stylistic authenticity the performers attempted to emulate. As Sportiello noted as he introduced the tune: “Freddie’s style on the guitar created the sound of the Basie band. Bucky Pizzarelli is perhaps the last great guitarist left who can still effectively produce this sound.” Sportiello could not have been more correct.
As the evening came to a close, Hamilton’s own Director of the Fillius Jazz Archive, Monk Rowe, shared the stage on the alto saxophone with Bucky and the Trio. Eric Maschwitz’s timeless ballad “These Foolish Things” highlighted Rowe’s exceptional control of his instrument. Following the theme of the evening, Rowe exemplified his musical prowess through simple melodic choices and tasteful dynamic variation. The audience reacted with glee as he peaked in his higher register with a beautiful, controlled and soft tone. When discussing the annual opportunity to perform at Fallcoming Jazz, Rowe happily admitted, “sitting in with the Fallcoming Jazz Band is a highlight of my year, like being thrown into the big leagues for an inning. Playing with a rhythm section composed of Nicky Parrott plus Bucky Pizzarelli is like going to heaven, and I am well aware of the rare privilege of standing next to a man who has played with all the jazz greats.”
Fallcoming Jazz was an evening that would have made jazz traditionalists in the camp of Wynton Marsalis proud. The Nicki Parrott Trio, along with Pizzarelli and Monk, consistently featured mature, restrained, melodic and emotive playing. To the lovers of rougher, atonal and insular styles of jazz, this may have not been the night for you, but it was well accepted by the lovers of swing, melody and the Great American Songbook. This year’s Fallcoming Jazz concert both celebrated and glorified this latter style.