Duke
Ellington's impact on jazz seems beyond measure, no matter how you
count it. He wrote, co-wrote or took credit for writing more than
1,000 compositions over a 50-year span. According to one family bio,
it was more than 3,000 songs.
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Dan Miller
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The
numbers really don't matter as much as the imprint Duke left on the
music. That's what the Dan Miller-Lew Del Gatto sextet celebrated
in their Charlotte County Jazz Society concert appearance on Monday,
January 10. They dug into the joy and legacy as they delved into a
wide emotional range of material from Ellington and collaborator
Billy Strayhorn, plus a few other gems from Duke's band book.
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Lew Del Gatto
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In
addition to his fiery playing, trumpeter Miller, a walking archive of
jazz details, shared many of the back stories behind the 16 favorite
tunes the band performed. Co-leader Del Gatto, a 30-year alum of the
NBC Saturday Night Live Band, was an excellent foil with his
to-the-point, but always gorgeous and inventive, tenor sax solos.
Their
all-star band was rounded out by longtime Big Apple pianist Roy
Gerson, trombonist Herb Bruce, bassist Brandon Robertson and drummer
Tony Vigilante. Bruce's wife, the fine singer Patricia Dean, better
known as a drummer in some performance settings, joined for three
tunes.
The
mood-shifting repertoire included “In a Mellow Tone,” “Satin
Doll,” Strayhorn's 1941 composition “Take the A Train,” which
soon became the Duke Ellington Orchestra's theme song, and two
classic compositions by Ellington trombonist Juan Tizol (“Perdido”
and the blazing concert closer “Caravan”).
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Roy Gerson, Patricia Dean
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There
were many fine moments. The ballad “Mood Indigo” showcased
Gerson's inventive keyboard artistry and Bruce's beautiful tone and
range on the trombone. Listen close, and you'd swear he's singing the
melody through his horn.
Dean
was featured on “I'm Beginning to See the Light,” which Ellington
co-wrote with Johnny Hodges and Harry James. Then she kicked off the
first of three fine Ellington songbook medleys. It began with Dean in
the spotlight on “I Got it Bad (and That Ain't Good),” then
Gerson was featured on “Sophisticated Lady” and Miller closed it
out with his solo on Strayhorn's Persian-tinged “Isfahan” from
Duke's Far East Suite.
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Dan Miller, Herb Bruce
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Brandon Robertson
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The second set opened
with a romp through Duke's train-themed “Happy Go Lucky Local”
that featured a bit of boogie-woogie piano from Gerson. Dean
returned for a sultry vocal take on “Do Nothin' Till You Hear From
Me.” The evening's second clever medley featured Del Gatto on
Strayhorn's ballad “Day Dream,” Robertson's riveting arco (bowed)
solo bass melody on “In a Sentimental Mood,” and Bruce's solo
take on “In My Solitude.” There may be no finer trombonist in the
region, perhaps the land, than this veteran of the Nashville Brass
and the Mr. Jack Daniel's Original Silver Cornet Band. Some may be better
known, but not better. |
Tony Vigilante
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The sextet closed things
out with two exhilarating arrangements: “Just Squeeze Me” and the
aforementioned “Caravan.” That Tizol-penned classic showcased
Philadelphia-native Vigilante's drum skills. He blends a
hard-swinging groove with subtle accents and tasty surprises.
The concert was the
second CCCJS event at the Military Heritage Museum's Gulf Theater in
Punta Gorda because of the closure of the Charlotte County Cultural
Center in early November. Miller noted the change. “The acoustics
here are amazing,” he told the crowd of about 170. “You really
struck gold with this new venue.” The only amplification used on
stage was for vocals, announcements and a some of Bruce's trombone
solos – more out of habit than necessity.
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Gerson, Dean, Del Gatto, Robertson, Vigilante, Miller, Bruce
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