Jazz Orchestra II shakes up the Singleton Center

Nicholas Bonadies

Staff Writer

I walk into the Sonia Vlahcevic Concert Hall at the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts this Tuesday night to the distant sound of a dozen or more brass and reeds warming up backstage in a swirl of licks and scales. The department of music’s Jazz Orchestra II concert, has done away with the usual warm beige stage lights in favor of hot, spicy reds and fuchsias, cast on a stage geared to accommodate a formidable ensemble unafraid to show off their colors.

VCU’s Jazz Orchestra II, comprised of 18 student musicians, is the second of the large performing ensembles run by the music’s jazz department—a program cited by JazzTimes as “one of the best places in the country to get a jazz education.”

From the first note of “The Kid From Red Bank,” we get an unstoppable wall of sparking amplified sound, leaving director Taylor Barnett to stand satisfied with a “job well done” grin on his face. He returns later to wrap up the final roaring chord with a flick of his arm to direct our cheers toward his players.

The entire first half of the concert is devoted to the work of composer/arranger Neal Hefti in Count Basie’s 1957 album “E=MC2,” better known as “The Atomic Basie.” Moods range from the quirky “Flight of the Foo Birds” (“The name says it all,” Barnett said) to the smooth blue “Lil’ Darlin’,” through whose self-effacing candor we perceive a hint of longing.

At intermission, musicians and audience members mingle freely in the lobby with the same vibrant energy you hear in their music. John Barker, a student with VCU Jazz, speaks about the subtle classical influence he hears “especially in some of the solo work.” Jazz Orchestra II employs a number of music students from outside the jazz program.

Through the concert’s second half, which exhibits the Afro-Caribbean fusion sounds of Dizzy Gillespie, Gil Evans and Chick Corea, we hear the rhythm section extensively featured—a piano solo rings over sizzling cymbal work in Gillespie’s “Manteca.” “Las Vegas Tango” ends with a gradual fade to a striking solo bass.

Drummer Abinnet Berhanu shines in particular, featured in a number of solos through both halves of the program. With his head lowered close over his drum set, his infectious rim shots and rolls show that he can taste every beat.

Just before commencing with the last piece of the evening (Chick Corea’s “Spain,” vivacious and electric), Barnett imparts a final thought.

“It’s great to see [the performers] really dig in with such enthusiasm,” he says with a smile. “And it’s great to play for people who really want to hear it. Thank you.”