May 13, 2007
It was night two of the Musaic at the Jazz Bakery festival, and the Jazz Bakery was swarming with people; the air was electric with anticipation. The performances were sold out, and a number of folks waited anxiously on the “standby list to see if the requisite number of tickets had been turned in to allow them to attend.
This was “Mozart Night; both first (classical) and second (improvisational) sets were devoted to music of the Master. For the second night in a row, a packed house sat in rapt expectation of a unique musical experience.
Uri Caine, composer-in-residence and curator of “Musaic at the Jazz Bakery, welcomed the crowd; then LACO members Tereza Stanislav (violin) and Victoria Miskolczy (viola) took the stage to perform Mozart’s three-movement Duo in G major, K. 423. This charming selection was a crowd-pleaser, and Victoria’s full, round sonorities beautifully complemented Tereza’s delicate, precise sound. By the third movement (“Rondeau), both musicians appeared relaxed and confident, and it fairly bubbled with vivacious good cheer.
LACO violinist Josefina Vergara next re-created Mozart’s Sonata in E minor, K. 304, accompanied by Mark Robson. For the second night in a row, Robson demonstrated why, in addition to being an impressive piano soloist, conductor and composer, he is a much-sought-after accompanist; his tonal colors provided the perfect background upon which Josefina could paint her moving aural portrait. For her part, Josefina’s warm, dark timbre contrasted interestingly with Tereza’s former bright, light tone and was ideally suited for this more emotional composition. The audience warmly expressed its enthusiastic approval.
Concluding the first set was Mozart’s Quintet in C minor, K. 406, which begins as another exploration of the composer’s deeper moments but ends in a flurry of C major exuberance. As LACO’s principal oboist (and musical treasure) Allan Vogel explained, this piece began life as a wind octet. Mozart was subsequently prevailed upon by Michael Haydn (youngest son of Joseph Haydn) to assist him in meeting a deadline for pieces he’d been commissioned to compose. Therefore, Mozart pulled the piece off the shelf and rearranged it for string quintet. For this performance, Allan played the first violin part on oboe, accompanied by concertmaster Margaret Batjer on the second violin part, with LACO members Roland Kato and Samuel Formicola on viola and Trevor Handy on cello. Despite the heat in the room, Allan’s tone, control and phrasing were as always sublime, and the depth and fullness of lower register resonance of the two violas and cello provided rich and solid support for the masterpiece.
Following a most welcome intermission for air and fluids, it was time for “Re-imaginings of Mozart’s music.” To set the stage, Uri came out by himself and proceeded to improvise on three Mozart Sonatas, played back to back. Melodies of all three were familiar to nearly everyone in the audience, and a murmur of recognition swept the room. The improvised sections of each were ebullient, rhythmic, and adventuresome; Uri wandered just a tad outside the chord changes on a portion of the middle theme, but as a whole, all three were delightful little re-compositions, melodic and accessible.
Uri then invited onto the stage the same small ensemble that assisted with Thursday evening’s re-imaginings: LACO’s violinist Josefina Vergara returned, joined by the brilliant New York trumpeter Ralph Alessi; versatile Juilliard clarinetist Moran Katz; and rhythm section consisting of Caine on piano; Michael Formanek, acoustic bass; and Jim Black, drums and percussion.
Again, the set was a reflection of the musical mind of Uri Caine. As LACO Executive Director Andrea Laguni stated, “A lot of what Uri does at first seems a little far out, but then, as you listen to it, you realize that it always makes sense!
But, beyond this, the set was quite different from its counterpart on Thursday evening: although both focused on themes from symphonies and other recognizable works, this set was exclusively light-hearted, rather than heavy and emotion-filled; musicians were obviously having fun, and certainly not taking themselves too seriously; and presentations were laced with humor, to which the audience responded with frequent grins and occasional laughter. If the hallmarks of Postmodern Jazz are Parody, Pastiche and “Put-On,“ then this set was decidedly postmodern, in the tradition of the World Saxophone Quartet and the Art Ensemble of Chicago, for example. Some improvisations wandered into the intentionally absurd, only to return to the formal and proper with a subtle wink.
The set and the evening closed with Mozart’s Turkish March (the rondo “Alla Turca from the Piano Sonata in A, K. 331). Throughout almost the entire piece, however, with its myriad variations and improvisations, the ensemble played in 3/4 (or 6/8) meter, distinctly NOT a marchable rhythm. On the last variation, the meter finally fell into a 4/4 or march rhythm, only to accelerate gradually to a ferocious, absolutely unmarchable pace! Rising at the same time in a dramatic crescendo, the Turkish March, and the evening, ended with a crash of cymbals, to a chorus of cheers and the applause of a grateful audience.
These two evenings will be hard acts to follow, but there’s always tomorrow, with its contemporary California compositions and the Rova Saxophone Quartet. I wait with bated breath…!