Saxophonist Ron Drischel, whose main axe is the tenor, has a brawny style and a robust tone that serve him well. He put them to good use Thursday, March 8 at the South County Jazz Club's concert at the Venice Art Center. He also knows how to rein them in on the occasional mellow ballad.
It was an afternoon for covering more than a dozen pages of the American Songbook and for digging into several jazz instrumental chestnuts. The latter category included Lee Morgan's "Sidewinder," Paul Desmond's "Take Five" and Earl Hagen's "Harlem Nocturne," which has become an R&B staple.
Drischel is known in southwest Florida as "Dual Sax Ron" because he likes to play tenor and alto simultaneously at times to thicken the harmonies in his solos or comping. He used that technique sparingly in this concert - as an introduction on "Blue Skies" and a brief interlude midway through "I'm a Fool to Want You." He doesn't belabor tunes, unlike some soloists who stretch them to the point of exhaustion. He enjoys brevity, sometimes opting for abrupt endings because he's ready to move to the next tune he wants to share.
The Cincinnati native had superb support for this concert: pianist Tommy Goodman, bassist Dominic Mancini and drummer Johnny Moore. The two-hour concert drew a crowd of more than 90 people.
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