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Crescendo Ignace "Iggy" Jang |
Maestro Catingub jazzes up
weekend symphony showsTime to turn Maestro Matt Catingub loose with "Jazz Meets the Pops," this weekend's concerts with the Honolulu Symphony Pops.
Now, don't get me wrong, Matt's not usually a formal guy, he's cool. What I mean is that he's got carte blanche this week to create a dynamic jazz show.
Jazz Meets the Pops
Hawaiian Air Lines Pop Series with the Honolulu Symphony and special guests John Pizzarelli and Jimmy BorgesWhere: Blaisdell Concert Hall
When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Tickets: $20, $30, $40, $50 and $65
Call: 792-2000
Jazz is Matt's first love, and this weekend, we'll sample his creative power in that genre. He'll be mixing the symphony, jazz and popular songs together to create spectacular effects. From big-band jazz standards to timeless wonders from the great American songbook, you'll get a panoramic view of American jazz and some of your favorite hits. "Laura," "I Got Rhythm," "Love for Sale" -- there's an unlimited wealth of musical treasures from which to choose. Expect to be swept off your feet with tributes to Nat King Cole, Johnny Mercer, George Gershwin, Cole Porter and more.
One thing to keep your ears and eyes open for is the interplay between all the musicians onstage. As one of the few truly American art forms, jazz has a way of uniting not only people, but also cultures and traditions. The music itself is a melting pot of influences from marching band music to popular songs, and from Latin-American music to even the French classical music of Debussy and Ravel. This mixture of such diverse styles seems to draw its performers together. When jazz musicians perform, a special rhythmic bond seems to connect them. Like interaction between two people, it can be smooth or wild, cool or hot.
Part of this musical bond can clearly be heard when two performers exchange musical phrases, elaborating and changing notes as they are passed along. This unique feature, improvisation, is what distinguishes jazz from other musical forms. Unlike traditional classical music performances, in which musicians read music from a score, jazz allows a musician to explore rhythms and create new music during a performance. Songs can start with a melody that's transformed into a new tune within a few minutes.
Early recordings of jazz, circa 1917, featured the Original Dixieland Jazz Band and, later, clarinetist and saxophonist Sidney Bechet. If these names don't sound familiar, think of Louis Armstrong. He established new standards for trumpeters and made scat singing famous. Scat singing is improvised "nonsense-syllable melodies," something Matt's done for us a few times ... but voluntarily, mind you.
Benny Goodman and Count Basie popularized swing and big-band orchestras in the 1930s, and Duke Ellington continued this tradition. Big-band jazz and popular music emerged as a leading art form, producing such great musicians and improvisers as Glenn Miller, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald.
In the 1940s a reaction against that movement resulted in "bebop," typified by saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. Bebop features continuous rapid, improvised melodies requiring high dexterity of the instrument and performer. Pianist Thelonious Monk and trumpeter Miles Davis started their career as bebop artists.
Recent styles of jazz include cool, West Coast, soul, free and fusion. What's important to remember is that jazz is a rich American art form that continues to evolve. This coming weekend, all of us in the orchestra will be part of that evolution.
ENOUGH HISTORY! Just sit back, relax and enjoy the classics sung to you by our wonderful artists, or get up and swing to the sounds of big-band music. Two of Matt's friends -- two of the best in the business -- will share center stage. Joining the jam session will be guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli.
Jazz buffs know that his father is the legendary Bucky Pizzarelli. Today, John continues the family legacy and has been called everything from sublime to inventive. His tributes to Nat King Cole recordings have earned him rave reviews; he was named Jazz Vocalist of the Year by Swing Journal in their 1999 Readers Poll.
And, you couldn't possibly think of doing great American songs without Hawaii's first gentleman of jazz, Jimmy Borges, could you? His velvety voice and engaging personality have touched all of us.
For those who have been waiting for the results of our trivia question ... congratulations to last week's trivia winner Deborah, who correctly answered the question, Who was Paul Dietrich? The answer is, the lead character from the film "The Competition," in which Amy Irving and Richard Dreyfuss compete (and fall in love) at a piano competition.
Ignace "Iggy" Jang is the Honolulu Symphony's concertmaster. His column will appear on the Monday prior to each concert of the season to illuminate works to be performed. E-mail comments and questions to Jang at suggestions@honolulusymphony.com
