This Saturday, the U.Va. Jazz Ensemble will play with guest alto saxophonist and jazz composer Richie Cole. Mr. Cole is a renowned musician with an extensive resume who has collaborated with such prominent artists as Buddy Rich, Lionel Hampton, Doc Severinsen, Eddie Jefferson and Terrence Blanchard. His seven-piece band, the Alto Madness Orchestra, has earned critical accolades for its creative arrangements and improvisation.
Cole’s music is strongly rooted in bebop, one of the original styles underpinning jazz music. The genre is characterized by quick tempo and improvisation, giving the music a very fast, hard-driving sound. John Petrucelli, the ensemble’s lead tenor saxophonist and featured soloist, praised Cole’s mastery of the genre and said he will bring a new passion to the concert hall. “He is one of the most dynamic and intense presences on the jazz scene,” Petrucelli said. “He really brings a different sort of flavor to the music, one that’s a lot different from what the Charlottesville jazz scene is used to.”
Petrucelli’s relationship with Cole runs deeper than admiration, however. Cole has served as Petrucelli’s mentor ever since he first picked up his saxophone. Introduced to Cole by his father when he was 10 years old, the two have had a very close relationship for 11 years. Coincidentally, jazz ensemble leader John D’earth also had connections with Cole, as the two had played together as part of the New York jazz-loft scene. With the help of Petrucelli’s father, who generously funded this show, the two arranged for Cole to come to Virginia for a three-day residency.
Cole will be backed by the U.Va. Jazz Ensemble, which is arranged in the big band tradition with trumpets, trombones, saxophones and a rhythm section. Unlike with other big band shows, however, the ensemble will highlight many original compositions.
“A lot of times, the emphasis on a big band is to copy the artists of the past,” D’earth said. “We do honor those voices and we play their music, but we always try to do our own thing. We write our own music — we encourage students to write, I do writing for the band, and we really encourage the solo voices.”
Traditional concert-goers may also be surprised to see the free-form energy that characterizes an ensemble performance. While each song begins with a basic structure and melody, there is stronger emphasis on improvisation and harmony. Soloists, without having written anything down before the performance, will play impromptu passages in the spirit of the original melody. Sometimes, multiple soloists will play a call and response. “There’s going to be a lot of diversity, which is really engaging for the audience,” Petrucelli said. “You have 20 people in the band, yet at any given time, any one of them could stand up and really be representative of the entire experience.”
All in all, Saturday’s performance promises to be exciting and dynamic, even if jazz has begun to have a reputation as the music of stuffy concert halls.
“Even if [concert-goers are] not huge jazz fans or don’t know about it, jazz can be very ‘music of the museum’ sometimes,” D’earth said. “But the real jazz that we love is full of feeling and this ebullient, joyful, irreverent, mischievous vibe.”
This Saturday, long-time jazz fans and curious newcomers alike can look forward to experiencing that special energy.
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