Tuesday, February 12, 2002
JAZZ REVIEW By DON HECKMAN, Special to The Times Mora's Modern Rhythmists have the look and the manner of a band tapped into the recent swing-revival fad. And when the curtain went up for their program at CSUN's Performing Arts Center on Sunday--hosted by "The Swingin' Years" radio show disc jockey Chuck Cecil--the tuxedo-clad players could easily have been kicking off a dance set at the old Palomar Ballroom.
Some of the pieces had never made their way to commercial release, such as an arrangement of "Anything Goes" tracing to a 1935 set of Benny Goodman numbers recorded solely for radio station use.
Toward the end of the afternoon event, Mora showcased an even more compelling item: "Reminiscing in Tempo" from 1935, Ellington's first extended work, impressively rendered by the Rhythmists in its full, 13-minute form.
Mora, on piano, and drummer Larry Wright were especially effective in focusing the rhythm section, with Chris Tedesco and Jim Ziegler on trumpet, Dave Ryan on trombone and Matt Germaine on tenor saxophone adding swing-inspired soloing.
But the real fascination of the program centered on the window that was opened into a colorful era in American jazz and popular music. And Mora and his Rhythmists deserve an enormous amount of credit for reminding us that classic 20th century jazz and swing deserve to be heard, appreciated and preserved with the same care and consideration accorded to three centuries of European classical music. Copyright 2002 Los Angeles Times |
But bandleader Dean Mora, despite his ebullient manner and black-and-white wingtip shoes, had other plans in mind. Steering clear of overly familiar swing-era repertoire--"In the Mood," "String of Pearls," "Sing, Sing Sing," etc.--he offered a concert sparkling with intriguing, often unfamiliar items.
Others were almost as elusive: Duke Ellington's 1935 "Bird of Paradise," for example, was recorded by Jimmie Lunceford rather than Ellington, and here was performed by the Rhythmists in an arrangement by the veteran orchestrator Spud Murphy (who was in the audience); a slightly risque (for 1935) tune from the Dorsey Brothers' repertoire, "Annie's Cousin Fanny"; Ellington's "I'm Satisfied," with the original Ivie Anderson vocal sung by band singer Kayre Morrison.
The musicians did a splendid job of re-creating a far-ranging lineup of material (all of it tracing to the decade between the late '20s and late '30s), emulating the style of the period without sacrificing their own musical individuality.
