Joe Marta's Thoughts!

My thoughts on various aspects of music I experience!

[joemarta]

Jamie Cullum, Jazz-Pop Fusion, and my thoughts on doing Cover Songs

Jamie Cullum, a name you may not have heard of, popular in a genre that itself is not so popular, jazz pop. Let’s start from the beginning, and see this incredible musician's contribution to a really interesting and unique genre of music.

Now despite having a very successful career as a musician, Cullum was never given formal school training in his field. Born in 1979, Cullum grew up attending a private school, and followed this with a degree in English Literature and Film Studies. His family was not particularly musical, with his mother being a secretary and his father working in finance. The closest relative he had was his grandmother, who sang in nightclubs. Now despite not having the most musical influences in his life, he still followed it independently, and studied composition by himself, as well as started a few bands. It was his independent drive and focus that led him to become the musician that he is today. Jamie is known for not only singing on his songs, but also for being a multi-instrumentalist. He plays piano, percussion, and even dabbles into the world of guitars as well. Now since he could play a lot of instruments, and didn’t have any formal training, he had a huge opportunity for him as a musician. Many music students are the product of their environment, and usually end up studying what their parents do, or end up working hard to sound like their teacher. Jamie didn’t have a musical family, or a teacher, so his influences are his own, and he really cut out his own style for himself. Jamie’s first two musical embraces were related but still distant, jazz and rock. A student studying formally might be told to focus on just one or the other, but Jamie didn’t have anyone to tell him no, so he did everything he wanted to, which gets us close to the unique genre many people know and love him for. 

Looking at his music, we can hear strong influences from jazz and even a few from rock, especially in his most recent album ‘The Pianoman at Christmas'. He really does not let one album stay in one genre, and really lets his voice and inspiration flow freely. Looking at his 2003 album ‘Twentysomething’, we can see a few covers, and songs that fall into jazz, ballads, and even soft rock. Some tracks involve rhythm sections, synthesizers, and even live horn sections. Hidden amongst these albums (some not even released) are some of the tracks he is most well known for, his jazz pop.

Now what is jazz pop? Looking at the genre name of itself, we see two genres that we all know, jazz and pop. The basis of jazz being a short melody, in which the performers can then solo or improvise over, which is the main focus of jazz. The basis for pop is longer and more memorable melodies, ones that could be easily sung or whistled, making them popular! Now combining the two, we get an interesting fusion genre that has changed over time, but still sits strong at its core. For this, we have to go back to the beginning of this style and culture of music in the early 1900’s. As jazz was on the rise with famous artists such as Louis Armstrong, we started to see the divide between the traditional jazz and what was then at the time known as ‘sweet jazz’. The more traditional stuff laid a lot into the groove and had a focus on long technical solos, whereas sweet jazz had a focus on tune and melody, which eventually gave way to artists like Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennet, where the music focused on the melody, which helped it skyrocket to popularity. Overtime, more influences from other genres got scooped into jazz pop, a big one being R & B, which really shows the reflective nature of the genre. Flash forward to today. Now although not as common, jazz pop still holds a place in society, and Jamie Cullum is a part of that wave. 

To me personally, some of his best work is in the jazz pop genre, especially when he covers other songs. He’ll take songs that have almost no connection to jazz, and transform them into something that is reminiscent of the original song, but with massive influences from jazz. He really takes the song and makes it his own. A great example of this is his cover of Rihanna’s ‘Don’t Stop the Music’. The song transforms from a club dance hall anthem, to a longing cry for help. It’s transformed into something so much more intimate than the original. It’s all live instruments, there is a thoughtful and tasteful piano solo, the tempo is pulled way back from the loud fast paced pumping of Rihanna's. 

Now I’m going to go on a touchy subject, my opinion on covers. I absolutely hate when bands do covers of songs and don’t change anything from the original. It’s different if it is a cover band, or maybe some wedding musicians playing a gig. I am talking about well known and respected artists taking an already known song, releasing it as a ‘cover’ and not changing a single thing about their ‘new’ version. A big offender of this is Panic! At the Disco’s ‘cover’ of Bohemian Rhapsody. Did it sound good? Yes! Did it sound different? Not really, it sounded like PATD singing Bohemian Rhapsody. We already have an incredible version of the song by Queen, so what is the point of doing a lesser recreation of something that is already a spectacular version. Now if Panic! took Bohemian Rhapsody and turned into their own by making into some kind of more punk rock thing, that would have been great. A cover should bring something new to the table, which is exactly what Jamie Cullum is doing. In every cover that this man does, he brings the world of jazz pop to new genres. He does a lot of these covers at his live concerts, so there are not many high quality recordings, but from what we can see, he completely changes how the songs feel and groove. Looking at this clip from 2007, we can see Jamie performing the spunky rock song Seven Nation Army, but now it's a soulful, jazzy, funky cover. Overall, Cullum's work shows his development not only to the style of jazz pop, but to the greater genre-spanning culture of cover songs.

[joemarta]

From Penny Road to Penny Lane

Penny Lane. An iconic Beatles classic that many of us love and know today. I am going to be focussing on the iconic solo from the version we know, and a slightly less familiar version of the song that could have been what we were listening to. 

In the iconic version that is played today, towards the middle of the song we are greeted with an instrumental feature. In this version, we are greeted with the delicate beauty of a trumpet solo. Now this solo is not played on just any regular trumpet, but actually a very specific instrument called a piccolo trumpet. This instrument is pitched a full octave above a regular trumpet and can play very intricate high passages with a delicacy and ease that a regular trumpet could not. Now although you think you may have not heard this instrument before, it actually has probably snuck its way into your ear a few times, most commonly on CBS Sunday morning news! In this version, the piccolo trumpet I think adds an almost fanfare-esque sound to the piece, but in a much more delicate way, as the piccolo trumpet has a more delicate sound. In an interview found on Classic FM, they say that the initial inspiration came from the Beatles hearing Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto performed by David Mason. Personally I think it is strange that the article refers to the notes as “painfully high”, as David himself says that part is something he could play up until he passed, and something that myself and many other trumpet players can play. 

Now before Penny Lane reached the form that we know it as today, it had a very different solo part. In this version, there is still a solo spot, but it is now taken up by another unusual instrument, the english horn. Now this instrument is very different from the piccolo trumpet, as it is a double reeded woodwind instrument, whereas the trumpet is from the brass family. The tone of this instrument is much lower and has a more earthy tone to it. I feel like it has that unique town that the Beatles were looking for, but it just wasn’t set right for this piece. It can have a beautiful singing quality, like in Dvorak's famous 9th symphony. For Penny Lane, it feels a little too out of place, almost like it's struggling to be heard, resulting in the sort of honking sound that we get here in this version. I feel like if this original solo were to have been kept the song would not have done as well. To me, part of what makes this song memorable is the brilliance of the trumpet solo. I think that with the english horn solo, people wouldn’t have recognized the sound of the instrument, and that it was a really bad saxophone solo. I think the english horn solo makes it feel like Penny Road and not like Penny Lane. 

Overall, I think that the change from english horn to piccolo trumpet still kept the unique Beatles sound, and even enhanced it. The piccolo trumpet has such a distinguishable sound that really helped bring the chart to where it is today. 

[joemarta]

A look at John Williams

John Williams. This name for many people paints a picture of soaring string melodies, brilliant brass fanfares, and vivid imagery coming alive through his music. For those of you who don't know who I am speaking of, John Williams is known for iconic soundtracks to many movies, including Star Wars, Jaws, Schindler's List, and many more classics. Now one may think that a musician of this classical caliber may have a certain type of upbringing or influences, but it may not be what you expect. 

Williams grew up right across the river in Floral Park, New York, to a family filled with musical talent. Growing up in New York alone allows one to have access to some of the most incredible music scenes on the planet, but pair that with an already musical family, and you get one of the greatest film scorers and composers of the past 100 years. New York is home to some of the biggest orchestras, such as the New York Philharmonic, and also home to famous jazz clubs such as Bigs and the Blue Note. Although he is currently known for his soundtracks and classical works, his familial talent lies in other fields. His father was a well known jazz percussionist, as well as some of his uncles. Growing up Williams learned trombone, trumpet, and piano. Coming from such a jazz oriented family, he studied a lot of jazz piano, and made a small ensemble of his own. When entering college, he decided to change his career choice towards becoming a classical pianist as well as a composer. This is where we start to see the John Williams we know. He’s changing from the jazz oriented musician, and shifting gears to a more classical focus. Like many music students, he suffered a bit from the sounds of a practice room. Imagine being in a building that has dozens of rooms, filled with the future Mozarts, Yo-Yo Ma’s and Kenny DeCarlo’s of the world. Hearing all these crazy future stars, he decided to really hone in on his composition and accompaniment piano skills. While in college at Julliard, he was drafted into the Air Force and given the responsibility of creating music for the military bands. Upon returning to the states he finished college and moved onto the next part of his life, where we get even closer to the Williams that we love and know today.

John Williams became what is called a studio musician. These individuals are highly talented musicians that perform for soundtracks and professional recordings of media. He played on films such as To Kill a Mockingbird and Peter Gunn. These opportunities presented him with the idea of composing music for films, which is where we have the Williams that we love and know today. His fame in the movie industry is almost unparalleled, but there is another side to him that not a lot of people know about. John Williams acknowledges that he is older, and unfortunately does not have a lot of time left with us, and decided to mostly retire as a film composer. In an interview with the New York Times,  he states that “Six months of life at my age is a long time”, which is an unfortunate truth. But do not fret, the mastermind is still creating more music, but has shifted to a more classical scene with orchestral and solo works. 

Personally, I am a huge fan of Williams' new works, but many people in the classical world are on the fence. This is where I am going to let out a little bit of my frustrations with the institution that is the classical music world. So many people and orchestras are stuck in the past and will not play new works. Many composers such as myself fight for very few chances to have your orchestral piece played once and then have it be lost to time. The ensembles would rather play old standards than try something new, in most cases. (Rutgers is pushing to have at least one newer orchestral piece per concert!). John Williams is writing incredible new works, such as his 2021 piece, Overture to the Oscars, a piece reminiscent of Gustav Holsts, Jupiter. But, this piece might only get played once, because of the culture in the orchestral world.

Another aspect working against him is that of the classical world having a lack of respect for the film world. I feel like a lot of composers want to push the boundaries of music and lack tonal centers, which quite frankly makes the music less friendly to the ear. There is a reason why classical music progressively faded out of popularity, and it is because it stopped lacking a singable theme. The songs that stay popular and at the forefront of society are ones that people can sing. Find a random person on the street and ask them to sing Jaws, or Star Wars, or Hooked on a Feeling. They can do it because it has a discernable and memorable melody. John Williams does this so much. He represents characters and places with themes, so when that music comes on, the viewer subconsciously knows what is going to happen. For whatever reason, this is looked down upon in the classical world, including some of our very own professors at Rutgers. They would argue that their music has themes and patterns, and which yes it does. But the music and patterns they follow are not particularly memorable, or singable, which is the key difference here. Now I would like to expand upon that this is mostly happening in the orchestral world. In band music, new works are encouraged and are preferred. We have the standards that are played, but many new pieces are also played. There is a reason why I am having 5 different band pieces premieres this semester, and literally no new orchestral pieces being played. I would really like to see Williams venture into the band world, because I think that bands would eat it up and love it. 

Overall, I think that John Williams is making a good move by just writing music to write music and not worrying about deadlines. It allows his true voice to show, and we can see how he developed from where he once was as a jazz pianist to the composer he is now. I think that the culture of the orchestral music world will have to change for Williams concert music to thrive. 

[joemarta]

Too out for the in cats, too in for the out cats

Benjamin Dunford (he/they), an up and coming local legend in the New Brunswick jazz scene has a bit of an interesting backstory of how he became the band leader, educator, and multi-instrumentalist that he is today. Now despite being an incredible saxophonist, when Ben started music in fourth grade, he wanted to play trumpet, but was encouraged by their director to play saxophone, for the lack of them in the school's band. In Ben’s words, “I mean it worked out”, and it most certainly did.” They stuck with the sax for two years, and then switched to french horn, to which Ben’s response was “this shit sucks”. He then dropped music up until high school, which he then primarily played alto saxophone, until he switched to bari in his junior year. Unfortunately, the pandemic happened and Ben was not ever able to play bari sax in an ensemble until they got to Rutgers, which according to them was “not a slay”. 

When Ben started getting serious about playing jazz, he turned and studied a few great players to model himself after. Leo P, Ronnie Cuber, and Pepper Adams are among a few of the artists that Ben has studied.

Upon arriving at Rutgers, Ben has hit the ground running, from being a killer player, to leading ensembles, and learning new instruments. Ben Dunford is a member of Jazz Lab II, one of the top jazz ensembles that Rutgers has to offer, and they’re only in their second year. In addition to performing jazz, Ben co-founded a group called Jazz Learning Ensemble, or JLE for short. Being a double major in Music education and Jazz studies, Ben has not only seen the gap in Mason Gross’s music education program, but is working on fixing it with JLE. This ensemble is designed for classical majors to have a friendly and welcoming first experience to jazz. In this group, Ben is working side by side with a classical vocal education member to bring a big band jazz education in addition to teaching the basics of jazz improv. Ben has brought in some notable alumni and faculty members to work with the students on their skills, and to prepare them even more for their future educator careers.

In addition to this, Ben has their own band called Stir-Fried, a mix of funk, jazz, r & b, and more. This group has hit the local New Brunswick basement show scene, and you can find more about their gigs and upcoming performances here on the groups Instagram.  

Now in addition to being a jazz saxophonist and educator, Ben has taken a big step and decided to learn how to play and march the sousaphone for the Rutgers Marching Scarlet Knights. Not only are they learning a new instrument, but marching in a style they’ve never done before, and at a very high and competitive level. You can see Ben marching here, at one of the most recent showcases from the MSK. 

In the future, Ben plans on being a Broadway pit musician, a private teacher, a gigging jazz musician, and a full time high school teacher. As one can see, they are absolutely killing it in their own quirky, funny, goofy way. In the words of this incredible up and coming person, “this cat’s rippin’”.

[joemarta]

Another British music invasion

British brass band, or more commonly just called brass band, is a traditional english ensemble seen frequently throughout England and the rest of western Europe, but has not done much traveling outside of that country. While many music students in the states will go to school to become band teachers and teach concert bands filled with all types of instruments, people across the pond can go to school but end up teaching brass bands instead! Let’s talk a little bit of the history of this group before we talk about its progress in America.

Looking back a few hundred years, these groups were made by workers during the European industrial revolution, to give them a sense of the past and simpler times, when people would come together and play for fun and enjoyment. As the revolution went on, many companies raced to create the gold standard of instruments that could be used by this band, propelling it to the highly competitive state that it is at today. So many groups were created that there were estimated to be around 10-40,000 bands in the UK. Over time this of course went down, resulting in community bands as well as professional bands. Now at some point, a few of these band members made their way over to the states, which is where our journey begins. Now this type of ensemble was not as common in the US, mainly for the use of instruments that were and are still just not as common to find here. We use tubas, trombones, and euphoniums just like the Brits do, but we start to see other instruments the higher up in range we go. We then see cornets instead of trumpets, which are still common. The spot we really see the difference is in the midrange. We see proper small bore baritones, which are not even made in the US, and then tenor horns, another instrument that is not used, taught, or produced in the US! Now despite these instruments not being common in the states, many of the horns have made their way over. 

Looking at the local scene of these ensembles in the tristate area, it seems that there are mostly community ensembles and college ensembles. Our very own Rutgers University has a recently started band, as well as Rowan down in South Jersey. There are many local community groups such as the Atlantic Brass Band, Imperial Brass Band, and also Princeton Brass Band. Now just because these are community ensembles, do not mistake them for some hobbyists or amateurs. All of these ensembles are filled with extremely talented and capable musicians, and several of these travel around the country to compete and place in brass band competitions. These groups compete in competitions such as the North Atlantic Brass Band Association and the Mid-Atlantic Brass Band Festival. These competitions bring in people from mostly the U.S. and Canada, but also draws an international audience as well. 

Now you may be wondering what these groups sound like, and I’m going to link a few songs here that really capture the essence of brass band. This first piece is called Fire in the Blood, and really showcases the traditional sound of the band, and demonstrates the skill and competitive nature of the ensemble. I have had experience playing this piece with the Rutgers University Brass Band, and it is quite the challenge, but extremely rewarding once you can perform. This other piece shows another side of the band playing some pop music that was used in a famous James Bond. This piece is Live and Let Die, performed by one of the world's most renowned brass bands, the Cory Band. I feel like these two pieces really showcase the diversity in rep that the ensemble can play.

[eitanshuman]

Travis Scott The Musician Who Took The Art out of Music.

Music can be like a mirror, it can reflect what an artist is feeling through the words they choose to sing, it can be a catalyst for social change which is a reflection on our flawed society. This transmission of ideas and feelings from the artist to the audience is a critical part of music’s influence and allure. A relationship is formed with some fans having a deep emotional connection to the artist and others that causally enjoy the music. Both of these factors help create a community of people that personify what the artist is about.

Unfortunately, these meaningful connections between the artist and audience are starting to depart from the music scene. I believe this is due to the over monetization of music which creates a loss of meaning in the music itself. Many artists don’t write their own music or even partake in the production of it. This reminds me of the now deceased Queen of England, she was a figure head without any power; much like the modern day musicians, who have no musical talent and are propped up by labels. The melodies and instrumentals are heavily researched to specifically appeal to the human brain. The lyrics are just as heavily produced as the melodies. Even when the artist goes to perform, they usually lip synch, which I actually don’t mind because their vocals are god awful. Travis Scott is the living embodiment of these qualities.

If you listen to Travis Scott, would you be able to tell me what his message was or what he was trying to convey. Probably not, because you probably couldn’t even understand the words coming out of his mouth. The lack of clarity of his vocals does a  good job of hiding his meaningless lyrics, that he probably didn’t even write. I looked up some of his lyrics of his most popular songs and there just as generic and unoriginal as you would think. I understand that not every word is meant to be fully pronounced in music, this can be due to the cadence of the song demanding a unique pronunciation of certain words. I also understand that musicians can’t create music solely by themselves and usually require a team around them. These nuances aren’t lost on me, but Travis Scott isn’t a nuanced musician, he’s more like a clout chasing air head.

So, why is Travis Scott so popular and idolized? Well, Like I said he is a clout chaser which reflects what society deems as important. In recent years people have stopped caring why someone got famous and for what reason; instead, they just applaud the fact they got famous. This is because the new currency is social currency which is a huge part of a clout chasing. Social currency is basically becoming well known by positive or negative means, which in turn gives that person some type of influence in society. This influence in essence can be exchanged for monetary gain or status.

Naturally the next question is why people go to his concert and what type of “music scene” does he have. I’m sure he has fans that love his music and the way it makes them feel. To be completely honest, I listen to his music occasionally and enjoy it, but I don’t attribute that to his artistic vision. I attribute it more to the army of scientists and music producers that make his music sound good. I think the allure of going to a Travis Scott concert is going to a Travis Scott concert and being seen. I feel like most of his fans don’t actually care about him or his music that much, instead they just want to post on social media that they went there. I mean it’s a pretty good relationship because he clearly doesn’t care about them either, which was evident on his Astroworld festival tour in 2021. He refused to stop his concert when the crowd was getting out of hand, killing nine people as a result. He later gave a lackluster apology on a short Instagram post, which wasn’t received well. This resulted in enough social pressure for him to have a one-on-one conversation with Charlamagne tha God for damage control reasons.

Thankfully, Travis Scott doesn’t represent all musicians, but instead shows a musical trend of the monetization of music which makes music lose its meaning. The “music scene” around him also exemplifies this attitude with his clout chasing fan base. But this isn’t true for other modern-day artists such as Juice World, Mac Miller, Kendrick Lamar, SZA, and Oliva Rodrigo who have fanbases that love them and connect to them in meaningful ways.  

[joemarta]

From the beats of the streets, to raising crowds to their feet

Raucous. Gritty. High-octane. These are just some of the words I can use to describe this short playlist. From pounding pavement in the streets, to rocking stages around the world, these groups truly embody what modern brass band is. Drawing inspiration from the brass band tradition of New Orleans, and combining it with a host of other genres including pop, R&B, hip-hop and more, this playlist gives you a taste of the evolving world of modern brass bands. I usually listen to this playlist whenever I am doing anything pretty physical, whether that be running, cleaning, biking, working out. It is a great playlist with a lot of energy. 

We start this playlist with the song that first got me into this genre, Lucky Chops’ Danza 2016. One of a few covers on this playlist, this song is a great example of the adaptation of pop, taking Don Omar’s hit song, Danza Kuduro, and arranging it for their band. Now Lucky Chops is the smallest band on this set, but do not let that small number fool you. What this group lacks in size, they make up for in pure raw energy. They are known for their high energy performances, including dancing, visuals, and all sorts of hootin’ and hollerin’. This piece for many, is the epitome of the Lucky Chops sound.

Up next, we have another Lucky Chops hit, but this time it’s an original. Temple of Boom is a radical change from their last piece, which goes to show the versatility of the group. They can go from pretty standard pop sounds, all the way to grunge inspired honks and barks, distorting their sound so much it's almost hard to recognize what the instruments are. This is just one group making these different sounds, now imagine hundreds of these groups, and the amount of styles they could cover. 

This third piece takes away from the buzz of the New York City based Lucky Chops, and brings us to the city of Richmond, Virginia, home of No BS! Brass Band. I personally find that Brass Knuckles really shows off the style of NBS! They have a lot more rock and hip-hop inspiration, and love to incorporate vocal sections into their music. This group packs a punch and fills the need of vocals if you really like them!

Our fourth track, one of my personal favorites; Brooklyn, by Youngblood Brass Band. I chose this piece because it features a unique instrument that many people have never heard of or even know the name of it, the sousaphone. Coming in at a whopping 35 pounds, the sousaphone acts as the bass of the group. This instrument is essentially a tuba, but one that is designed to be carried and to project over the heads of anyone in the way. A skilled sousaphonist, such as the one in YBB can do a fancy trick called multiphonics; playing and singing into the instrument at the same time, which can be heard in this piece. Side note, I may have a bit of a bias, as I do march this instrument for the Rutgers Marching Scarlet Knights. 

Our next piece is another arrangement, Killing Me Softly, by YBB. I included this one to show another adaptation of a famous pop tune that a lot of people would know. 

The last song in this set is a bit of a wildcard. While most of the groups before this take inspiration from American styles of music, Red Baraat takes inspiration from North Indian bhangra music. I wanted to include Shruggy Ji to show how widespread brass band music is, and how adaptable and unique of a genre it can be!  

Overall, brass band is really an interesting genre of music, being the intersection of so many other genres. It takes influences from around the world and mashes them all up into this really crazy style that is really hard to not start bumping along with. I hope this playlist helps you get into the style of music, and that you’ll enjoy it as much as I do. If you really do enjoy it, I personally have a larger playlist of brass band that I will link here.

[joemarta]

The New Lucky Chops

The kathunk of a subway rail. The hiss of brakes on the track. The shuffling of feet, covered by the overlapping voices of commuters and travelers alike in the New York City subway system. Amidst all the rush and chaos of the busy New York underground, if you are lucky, you might just hear the kathunk of drums, the hiss of a screaming trumpet, and even the low honk of the sousaphone. 

Lucky Chops is a New York based brass band that started in 2006, taking the streets by storm. One of their biggest hits that got them on the scene was their cover of Funky Town/I Feel Good. Since then, Lucky Chops has gone under a lot of changes of personnel, going through a few drummers, tubas, and bari saxophones until settling on the group that they have now. The band for many years has been known for their raw, energetic performances and covers, but it’s starting to change. They now use a lot more processing and are experimenting with new instruments to create new sounds that we’ve never heard from them before.

Arvory, one of the newest 2022 releases demonstrates the controversial new sound of Lucky Chops. The group for a long time has had two main styles of music, traditional busking brass band, and pop covers. The group's style for a long time was to do pop covers in the instrumental styles that they were used to. Whether it be a cover of Ariana Grande’s Problem or their original hit single Buyo, the group had its established sound. Over the years as the members changed, they have started experimenting more and more with mixing, making the tracks feel more ‘pop-y’, EQing the tuba to sound like a bass, a lot of reverb, and other effects found commonly in pop. And this brings us to their newest release, Arvory. 

Arvory features a seemingly new sound for Lucky Chops, but it really has been years in the making. The first difference we can see aside from the processing, is the instrumentation. We see our usual sousaphone, trombone, bari sax, and drums, but now added to the fix is bass clarinet and rotary flugelhorn. These two new instruments add a much darker color to the traditionally brighter sounding group that many grew to know. Another note to add is that the sousaphone is also using a fiberglass instrument, which helps darken the sound by not ringing like a brass one. This helped lower the timbre of the whole ensemble to a much darker sound. Some fans argue that this new sound strays too far from what they started in, but I think it shows the group's progression. There are not really any other groups out there with the sound that Lucky Chops has, making them stand out, while also pushing the bounds of their respective genre. They are completely blending and pushing boundaries between brass band and pop through both their audio mixing styles and instrumentation choices. They are incorporating elements of pop in their mixing and song construction, and pushing the boundaries of brass band by using nontraditional instrumentation. This is the new Lucky Chops.

[joemarta]

The Quintessential Quintet

A beautiful night with a clear sky. Tables sprawled out, filled with food, friends, and fans. The air infused with the smell of food and the soothing sounds of the melodious baritone sax. The Tavern on George every Tuesday night comes to life with the sounds of up and coming jazz musicians from the New Brunswick area. 

The Tavern on George, commonly referred to as just ‘The Tavern’  is a relatively new pub to New Brunswick. Taking over the old home of the old pub, Tumulty’s, The Tavern works closely with the New Brunswick Jazz Project, an organization that focuses on keeping jazz at its roots; in local communities. This organization works with The Tavern as well as the newly built New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, both of which have a strong connection to the music scene in Rutgers with professors such as Conrad Herwig and Dave Stryker. All of this support bringing live jazz musicians to the local scene is where our evening begins. It’s 6:30, the outside seating starts to fill up with patrons. Friends and family gather together and start off their beautiful evening ahead of them. My evening started off with a lovely gathering of friends that I had not seen since a year ago. As we were catching up, the Tristan Voitcu Quintet started to take the stage, tuning up and getting all of their gear ready to perform. 

From the moment the band took the stage at 7:30, they exuded professionalism. The group consisted of Tristan Voitcu on bari/soprano sax, Kyle Courter on trombone, Jacob Hurlock on keys, John Pachnos on bass, and Don Solomon on drums. The band played a mix of standards and newer charts, and I believe maybe even a few of their own. One of my personal favorites from the evening was the group's rendition of A Night in Tunisia. As a trumpet player, I am most familiar with the Arturo Sandoval version. It was refreshing to hear a different perspective on the tune, especially that of a big bari sax. I feel like Tristans’s saxophones color brought a whole new energy to the piece, being able to play both bass lines, as well as honk out the melody. The fast paced energy of A Night in Tunisia really gave the members an opportunity to show off their chops and play some really fast and tastefully technical licks. The quintet did a really good job at trading off for solos, trading fours, and even having some out of time breaks to spice up their rendition. Not one member stepped on someone else's solo, and there was a subtle, yet very clear communication between all the members on stage. One thing I personally liked a lot was how the band went smoothly between tunes, having some kind of open solo for one of the members, which led everyone seamlessly into the next. Also hearing the band go from hard swingin’ charts, to high-octane funk, and bringing it all the way back to soft melancholic ballads, really demonstrated the level of professionalism that all of these musicians have, making them in my opinion, the quintessential quintet.

After the Voitcu Quintet, The Tavern opens its stage to jazz musicians of any level. People of a mix of ages and backgrounds were coming up to the stage, keeping the tradition of jazz alive. The NBJP’s goal of keeping jazz live and local really can be seen at these jams. It has even inspired me to go out and start learning how to solo to join the sessions. 

The whole evening overall was an incredible experience, going from the food, the atmosphere, the professionalism of the musicians, as well the open and welcoming experience for new jazz musicians.