JOSH LAWRENCE & FRESH CUT ORCHESTRA at DIZZY’S CLUB - FESTIVAL OF NEW TRUMPET MUSIC, nyc, SEP 10
photography by ©Clara Pereira / text by Filipe Freitas
The Festival of New Trumpet Music 2019 took place in New York from September 3 to 12, featuring rich performances at several venues across the city, including Dizzy’s Club, Jazz Standard, The Stone at the New School, The Jazz Gallery, and Threes Brewing. Now in its 17th edition, this multi-genre event directed by the acclaimed trumpeter/composer Dave Douglas since 2003, has been not only honoring recognized pioneers and influential teachers with their Award of Recognition but also supporting talented voices through annual commissioned works.
On Tuesday, September 10, JazzTrail was at Dizzy’s Club for a memorable concert by Josh Lawrence, an excellent soloist/composer and this year's recipient of the Roy Campbell Jr. Commissioning Program. He was in command of the Fresh Cut Orchestra, here rearranged for the occasion, in celebration of the trumpets of Philadelphia.
The orchestra’s core members - Brian Marsella on piano, Jason Fraticelli on bass, Anwar Marshall on drums, and Arturo Stable on percussion - were impeccable on the first tune, “Proclaim Liberty”, which enraptured everyone in the room with the softness of its melody and a neat groove in five. Individual statements came from John Swana, a former trumpeter turned EWI player, who offered creative ideas in the form of a fluid stream of notes, and Lawrence, whose thoughtful, confident phrases slowly built to a climax. The following piece, “Meet Me At The Clothespin” featured a luxurious three-horn frontline with the addition of guest trumpeters Leon Jordan Jr. and Duane Eubanks. Both these musicians struck with fierce attacks and wide-ranging bop-inflections, in opposition to the bandleader, who chose to slow things down and let it breathe with his habitual melody-inspired class. Marsella’s effective comping was noteworthy, and, by the end, it felt great seeing Marshall trading fours with his colleagues.
“MOVE”, titled for the black liberation group targeted in the 1985 bombing of a residential neighborhood by the PPD, kicked off with a mournful solo piano preamble, but earned a polyrhythmic layer as bass and drums teamed up with swinging sympathy, becoming actively percussive during the improvisations. Latin and swing vibes were combined effectively.
Arnetta Johnson stepped onto the stage to be featured on the motif-impregnated “It’s Always Sunny”, a groovy piece dipped in funk and R&B, while Freddie Hendrix (an infiltrated Jersey cat among the Philadelphians) hit the sky on “The Battle of Cecil B. Moore”, when he blew piercing and punching notes in a killing solo. Before that, the bolero-infused ballad “Romance in Rittenhouse Square” had featured Lawrence flanked by lovable solos from piano and bass.
Philly’s brass vibes wouldn’t be properly celebrated without a blues, and when that occasion arrived, the audience rejoiced. Congratulations to the Festival and its crew for another productive year.