Concert Review: 'Humbug Jitterbug' - CompCord Big Band
Concert Review: 'Humbug Jitterbug' - CompCord Big Band Feat. Guest: Valery Ponomarev - trumpet, Gerry Brown - drums The City Winery November 29, 2021 A bright brash blast of brass opened the Composers Concordance “Humbug Jitterbug” concert at the City Winery Loft last week. Conductor and MC Gene Pritsker introduced the evening as repping the signature dance of the era and a tip of the hat ala Charles “Bah Humbug” Dickens to the opening of the holiday season. Pritsker’s title piece (…really fast…) eased into swing with a bright tenor sax solo before finishing with a flourish. Over the course of the concert, the pieces would explore an old school throwback of classic Big Band sound while also pushing the boundaries of the genre to new territory in typical CompCord style. John Clark accepted Pritsker’s invitation to “take things where we want” in his Una Stanza A Milano offering a musical impression of a 'Room in Milan'. A reflective trombone opening is joined by a tenor