Evening of Jazz hosted by Mt. Hood College

Jazz enthusiasts gathered at a concert in the Visual Arts Theater on Wednesday evening that featured both Mt. Hood and visiting performers.

MHCC’s own Jazz Ensemble began with American hard bop jazz trumpeter Michael Mossman’s rendition of Duke Ellington’s “C-Jam Blues” (“Ala Mambo!”). Mt. Hood musicians Kyle Ramirez played an alto solo and Ben Trombi soloed on his trumpet.

Directed by Dan Davey, in his first year as MHCC’s director of jazz, the students played with enthusiasm. Smiles emerged on their faces as they peered into the crowd when they paused from playing their part during arrangements.

“Georgia On My Mind,” written by Hoagy Carmichael and arranged by Mark Taylor, featured T Anderson on the piano, which had a mellow tune to it. Anderson swayed back and forth as his fingers bounced on the keys in a rhythmic and lively manner, and drew applause from the crowd for his solo.

Band members nodded their heads, ever so slightly, to the beat as each played their instrument. At times, one could catch a player smiling at their colleagues.

The evening also featured the University of Oregon’s JazzArts Oregon Combo.

“We had the opportunity to have (them) come out and play with us and have Steve Owen, their director, be a featured soloist. It was a great opportunity, it worked out really well and it was an educational experience for the students,” said Davey.

Mt. Hoods’ own Ensemble played a rendition of “ ’Round Midnight” by Cootie Williams/Thelonious Monk, arranged by former MHCC music faculty member Dave Barduhn. The soothing song caused those in the audience to sway a little in their seats as they listened closely to Jeremy Reichenbach, playing his solo on the flugelhorn.

Trombi was the vocalist in “Nice ‘n’ Easy” by Lew Spence, arranged by Sammy Nestico. Trombi said his mouth tired halfway through the performance, but he continued doing his best. “I thought my vocal song went really well. I just love singing, so I thought it was really fun,” he said.

He explained that he doesn’t look for the applause from the audience as he performs.

“What’s really awesome to see is when I see myself growing in what I do. I think what really makes me smile is being able to play with a whole bunch of amazing musicians and seeing the individual growth of myself and seeing myself get better,” he said.

The annual, end-of-term concert brought families, friends and visitors to the Gallery. Davey praised the effort of all the students at the performance, and how far they’ve gotten.

Trombi returned the compliment. “I’m really glad that Dan Davey is our jazz director. He’s not just really good at what he does, he encourages us to get better and he’s just really fun to work with,” Trombi said.

There are currently 20 people in the band. “A standard jazz ‘big band’ is five saxophones, four trombones, four trumpets and a rhythm section with piano, bass, guitar, drum, vibraphone,” said Davey.

For the last hour, the JazzArts Oregon Combo played songs that they had arranged themselves. The crowd cheered as the guests played through and ended each tune, each featuring at least one solo.

The night ended with Boobop, which was a lively, fast-paced ensemble that had the audience bouncing once more.

Advocate Staff