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 "Photo: Photos courtesy of Piero Ottaviano")
“Tenor Madness” concluded two days of workshops, saxophones and performances by Wayne State’s Department of Music with an incredible performance at the Music
Box at the Max M. Fisher Music Center on Oct. 24.
The program featured the Detroit-Torino Urban Jazz Project and internationally acclaimed tenor saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi with WSU’s Big Band, led by the university’s director of jazz studies Chris Collins.
The show opened with the Detroit-Torino UJP, composed of Collins, saxophonist Emanuele Cisi, pianist Cliff Monear, bassist Nick Calandro and drummer Sean Dobbins.
Each of the musicians exuded pleasure in their craft with melodious interaction, also displaying first-rate individual talents, as exhibited in Dobbin’s passionate, spot-on drum solo.
The three saxophonists Bergonzi, Cisi and Collins melded their charismatic styles, creating a contagious energy as Bergonzi pushed all that precious breath into his sax.
The innovative music, ranging from light toe-tapping to an intense conversation with the audience, captured everyone with its colorful technique and rich resonance.
Collins classified “Tenor Madness” as a product of research and studying styles to further the art. But it is not exclusively music on which the Detroit-Torino UJP focuses on, but also “synesthesia.”
“[That’s] the blending of visual media and music and how composers feed off of visual and how photographers feed off of the sound and the improvisation,” Collins said.
This artistic endeavor included the artwork of Giuliano Crivelli of Novaro, Italy, and photography by Piero Ottaviano of Torino, Italy and Geoff George of Detroit.
Crivelli worked for the past couple of months on a collection specifically to be displayed at the “Tenor Madness” concert and donated one of the pieces to Wayne State for its permanent collection.
“The poster for ‘Tenor Madness’ was an original oil painting that Crivelli did” Collins said.
Photographs of Detroit and Torino created by Ottaviano and George were projected above the stage throughout the Urban Jazz performance. The amazing images revealed both of the cities in their similar culture, charm and urban decay.
“I’m real passionate about Detroit and photography of Detroit,” George said. “I’ve found the industrial ruins to be pretty fascinating.”
Torino, the home of Fiat Motors, is known as the Detroit of Italy. The two cities are parallel in the manner in which they’ve evolved economically, socially and in their living environments. The project weaves these two cultures with a common thread.
“It’s really an exploration of artistic collaboration and cultural collaboration.” Collins said.
The project can “break down cultural barriers and geographic distances with technology and with travel in a way that brings us a lot closer as individuals.”
The performance illustrated jazz conversations between the cities, according to Collins.
The second half of the performance featured WSU’s Big Band playing with Bergonzi and Collins.
WSU music students wrote compositions for Bergonzi, and the pieces written by James Hughes and Michael Karloff were performed that night. Hughes’ piece “Invisible Light” enticed with a pleasingly seductive tone and Karloff’s “On The Brink” had an exhilarating quality.
“Wiggly” was a mesmerizing piece, full of the creative energy of the horns.
“I hope you’re digging it,” Collins remarked to the audience.
“Dexter,” featured the trombone section with a soothing tonality.
The last piece, “Lost in the Shuffle,” was just plain fun, inviting the audience to sway, bop or tap along to Chuck Newsome’s rhythmical guitar.
The combined creativity of WSU students, Bergonzi and Collins in this performance was a rare and inspirational experience.
“We really had a great time,” said woodwinds player Michelle Mallick. “It was very challenging music, but Chris is a really great teacher and leader of the band.”
Mallick felt that the opportunity to play with Bergonzi was “just an incredible experience.”
“It was interesting. I’ve never experienced anything really like it before,” George said of his involvement with the project.
This concert was far from a standard jazz concert or even a big band performance. The innovation and genius of these musicians set them apart from any single category. The melodious art-filled evening concluded with a well-deserved standing ovation.
