Concert Review: Gene & The Brass
Gene & The Brass
February 27th, 2022
Chelsea Table + Stage
Wayne du Maine, Dennis Hernandez, Valery Ponomarev - trumpets
B3+: Franz Hackl - trumpet, John Clark - horn, Jonathan Greenberg - bass trombone
Gene Pritsker - guitar/conductor
Charles Coleman - conductor
This concert featured Gene and the Brass. As you might expect, the show focused on compositions written explicitly for that class of instrument--with one fun exception. Performers included Wayne du Maine, Dennis Hernandez, Valery Ponomarev, and Franz Hackl on trumpet; horn player
John Clark; and Jonathan Greenberg on bass trombone.
The show opened with the world premiere of Joyous in a Surfeit of Distraction, written and conducted by Gene Pritsker. It began with subdued motions, almost atonal, yet melodic--reminding me of a euphonious Carl Ruggles. Overall, it swayed, it popped, it groaned, it sang. And always demanded attention and never ceased to surprise.
Next up was another work from Pritsker's oeuvre, Fanfare for the Unfair, a piece of program music composed for three trumpets and in three movements. "Life" was the first of these. I was reminded of someone moving cautiously over treacherous terrain. The trio was impressively tight, playing as one instrument. Before the music began, Pritsker had told the audience that he'd been inspired by the anonymous quote that "life can be unfair sometimes but that's no reason to give up on it." Despite the presence of that feel, there was a definite strain of sorrow running throughout. The second movement was "Love.” It opened mysterioso, and it was immediately obvious that the love in question was not at first sight. Jazzy and melancholy, the notes embraced in tight clusters, breaking apart and rejoining to mesmerizing effect. Perhaps not surprisingly, it all ended with "Death." A cathedral-like structure spiraled upward, even as the theme held the listeners firmly in their seats.
Horn player John Clark introduced the world premiere of Puzzle Pieces, noting that things in the world are "collapsing, falling apart, going wrong, and people are suffering [...] "at the same time people are trying to improve things." A new world will be created, and this new thing emerging is like a puzzle to which everyone is trying to contribute. Charles Coleman conducted, and for the first time that evening,Pritsker joined the brass onstage as an electric guitarist. The opening bars were frenetic, with the brass playing dramatic bursts behind an eerie, cyclical guitar theme. A sudden switch to plaintive guitar led to a captivating trumpet solo. The music resumed with busy pieces of sound fitting together and coming apart, as though the pieces of the puzzle were as yet inchoate. It resolved, however, with those pieces settling into each other with a sense of gentle unification.
The virtuosic Keep Cool Said the Stool was composed by trumpeter Franz Hackl. He explained that the title was taken from a children's book he used to read his son when the boy was little, and that today he's become a professional hockey player in the European League. Going to show how strange time is, how it can take you from your father tucking you under covers within a little bedroom world, all the way to the World Stage. Like that of many of the inspiring composers who belong to the Concordance, Hackl's message was one of hope: "If everyone did what they believed in the world would be a better place, and music is a good start for that."
The piece was written for one trumpet (played by Hackl), horn, and one trombone. The curious opening, a series of strident and melodic punches and pauses, led to a kind of brass peek-a-boo, each instrument revealing the one to the other—playing, in multiple senses of the term.
The premiere of Tatonka Lyotanka Sitting Bull, composed by Dave Taylor, was conducted by Charles Coleman. It had a sort of lopsided waltz feeling (almost a comic Dies Irae). Repetition defined the structure but the piece was never dull.
71 was written by Gene Pritsker for his father’s 71st birthday. Pritsker, playing guitar, was joined by legendary trumpeter Ponomarev (who has played with many greats, including Art Blakey, among others). The early-jazz inspired piece provided a nice contrast with the New Music of the programm. 71 was a heartfelt tribute. Tenderness gave way to an exchange of speedy solos, and it came to a close with lovely guitar harmonics.
The night turned more playful with Pritsker's Variations on my 2 Favorite Bars from Ashes to Ashes—which took the chorus of the famous Bowie song and stretched it so far afield, it was a wonder to see how such a variety of music can be contained in a few simple bars. This featured some especially inspired lead playing by Pritsker.
Gene and the Brass left us with a rousing jam, Blues Head in 7 Solos. All the players joined the stage, along with guests: Tap-dancer Max Pollack, flute-player Heather Bird and drumming great Gerry Brown, who had just flown in after
a Diana Ross show in New Orleans and made it behind the set just in time, and without drum sticks—so he used cutlery! Between a visceral, strutting main theme, Gene called each player out to improvise solos. You could feel the joy rolling off the stage. Bird's flute leant an interesting new timbre to the mix; Brown, even without proper sticks, brought the power; and Pollack’s tap/body improv was a highlight.
Excelling at the eclectic, Composers Concordance once more showed why they are the premier New Music group in NYC.
—Martin Box
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