There are moments in music I feel you never forget. Maybe it’s that band that was busking on your way to work, or the opening band for that act you’ve been waiting five years to see. For me, one of those moments was this past weekend.
Through the music school I work at, I got to record a 4 piece jazz band from the local high school. It was initially supposed to be a 6 piece, but 2 members had personal commitments they had to attend to. That left the group with a drummer, a bassist who played both electric and upright, a piano player, and a sax player that played Alto and Soprano Sax.
The bassist seemed to be the band leader and the group was going to track four tunes and had about 3 hours booked. Their intention was to use this as a a reel for getting gigs and also for colleges, and they decided to track together as a band.
From the moment they started their take on Roy Hargrove’s “Stroudsburg”, I knew I was in for a good time. I’ve played with bands that have been around longer than the youngest player (15 I believe) has been alive, with bands that’s have dedicated rehearsal spaces and have multiple projects out, and none of those bands felt as tight as these 4 kids, one of whom is going to start their freshman year in college this year.
Let that sink in, these kids are still in high school, and their chops are that incredible. From first listen, the drummer is who impressed me the most. His sense of time feel and the pocket he was creating was absolutely incredible and it gave space for the upright to fit and create the musical foundation for the tune. For a 15 year old drummer, he did not overplay. That in and of itself deserves a Grammy.
I was sitting there for three hours in complete awe as to what I was listening to. The group was tight and they sounded absolutely massive as a four piece. As a musician of 10+ years myself, it compelled me to go home and practice and study my craft more. To sharpen my musical pen and really improve my melodies and feel.
The sax player knew his role, and knew it well. His breath control and phrasing of the notes made the melody sound so human, it felt like a singer was in the room. When it was time to play solos, you can tell he was intentional, yet cautious with his note choice. He constantly told a story through his melodies. He didn’t solo just to solo, he took you through Stroudsburg, through the shops and streets and showed you culture through sound. I’m a sucker for a good horn player, so I could listen to him play for hours, but he truly blended in well with the group.
The piano player, who had the most extensive musical background, was a solid player. With years of classical playing underneath him, I was intrigued to see how he would fair in a jazz context. His chordal and rhythmic playing were incredible, but his soloing sometimes felt a little too scale focused. There were pockets where he absolutely killed it, his solo on Thundercat’s “Them Changes” is one of them, but I’d love to see him get freer with his time and utilize space more.
The bassist was entirely unphased by the songs and played them like he’d heard them for years. His dynamics and playing were on point and I struggled to find moments where I heard him exit the pocket or drop the groove. A good bassist can not only develop the pocket with the drummer as well as guide the melody, but can also intrinsically change the feel of the tune if they want to. This bassist knew his power and absolutely nailed it.
There are few musical memories I think I’ll have in life that really changed me or made an impact. This is definitely one of them. I constantly hear from musician friends that music is getting worse and that people don’t wanna learn music or listen to older music (70s and past), but these cats definitely prove that music is alive and well.
Memories In Wax 
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