RATING


The Liberace Jazztet made its appearance Wednesday night at the crowded Recital Hall in the Music Building.

The exciting night was filled with rhythmic patterns and displayed the solo skills of all six members, especially drummer Xavier Breaker.

The night started with “Cardinal Red,” which was composed by Bryan Fritz, the tenor saxophonist for the Liberace Jazztet.

This first piece was an exquisite display of soloist skills by all the members of the band. Bass, trombone, trumpet and guitar solos were a great introduction to their skill. But who really shined in this piece was saxophonist Fritz and drummer Breaker.

Fritz arranged a well put-together, complicated and extended solo. While Breaker’s time to shine turned into an explosion into the ears of the audience. His drumming was fanatic, explosive and extremely enjoyable. During his solos, he would add playful suspenseful drum rolls that would end in the crash of a cymbal, which was very exciting and surprising to hear. “Cardinal Red” ended the same way that it began, with a fast beat and muted trumpet and trombone.

After a brief introduction by trombonist Shawn Bell, the Liberace Jazztet slowed the program down with a piece called “Choices” by Steve Davis.

It started out as a smooth mellow mood that began with bassist Nathan Brown repeating a solid rhythm. The song title must have been referring to the amount of choices each soloist had during their time in the rhythm to change and surprise the audience.

The third piece was again another great display of talent from all musicians. The piece was arranged by guitarist Julio Smarcaro and was very clear because it went through many rhythm shifts using the drums to utilize change.

The Jazztet’s fourth piece featured a playful back and forth introduction between trombone and trumpet players. But when the full song took off, the notes of the full band blared through the small Recital Hall. Again, Breaker made his suspenseful surprises a noticeable pattern in all of his solos. The song ended with an extended fade out.

Bassist Nathan Brown flexed his song-writing muscle with the piece he composed, “Blues for Billy Bones.” The greatest part about this song is the amusing tag-team introduction between Breaker and Brown. Using his suspenseful and explosive surprise technique, Breaker’s drum solo was able to liven the party in the crowd’s ears.

The Liberace Jazztet’s final piece started with a deep soulful bass introductory solo that rolled into an ultra-fast-paced beat. The beat was so fast it kept Breaker and Brown working overtime in the rhythm section but allowed for the brass section to make fanatic solos. Toward the end of the jams, Breaker again made his surprise appearances that were signature with a suspenseful drum roll and end with a strong cymbal crash.

The song and the concert came to a final conclusion when the same soulful rhythm from the bass introduction made its appearance.

At the end of the concert the audience left in a jubilant toe-tapping manner. All the solos from each song were extremely enjoyable. The solos differ from each other, but, at the same time, had a signature of their own.

The MVP of the night should probably be Breaker, whose suspenseful and exciting surprises livened up each of his solos.

The Liberace Jazztet was a great way to spend an hour at the Music Building and was an entertaining and enjoyable jazz band.

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