Putting on a clinic in group improvisation and communication, the Hal Galper jazz trio and tenor saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi gave Dartmouth a rare treat last night at Rollins Chapel.
The trio, which has had few personnel changes in the last thirty years, exhibits a tremendous amount of empathy in their playing. The dialogue between Galper and drummer Steve Ellington is especially sensitive and involved during Galper's original compositions.
The first half of the concert featured exceptionally long numbers with long solo passages full of imaginative improvisation. The quartet started off with Wes Montgomery's "Goochie" and went on to play the Gershwin classic, "Embraceable You."
At the end of the songs, however, the tunes hardly sounded as they have in the past. "Embraceable You" may have been immortalized by alto-saxophonist Charlie Parker, but the way the Galper quartet interpreted it last night is equally thrilling and spectacular.
As far as rhythm sections go, the Galper trio may be one of the best around today. Bassist Steve Johnson, the newest member of the group, exhibited an incredible amount of sensitivity towards the music being created around him.
He also has a knack for making the bass "sing" during solos, using a deep, "wooden" sound to articulate each note in each register. His sound remained full of emotion throughout the concert, even while he was not highlighted on a solo passage.
Galper, the founder of the quartet, and primarily a bop pianist, has certainly allowed his style to evolve over the years.
His influences clearly show through in his playing though his sound cannot be pinned down so easily. He has intelligently blended all of his influences into a sound uniquely his own: it has the subtlety of a Bill Evans, the rhythmic concepts of a Thelonious Monk and the harmonic approach of a Keith Jarrett.
His interesting playing style along with Johnson's free melodic approach makes for an exciting enough combination. But of course, there's more.
Drummer Steve Ellington is yet another puzzle.
He hardly needs individual solo passages as he constantly shifts rhythmic textures underneath Galper and Johnson's playing. He adds the spark to the quartet and drives them with an unexpected, pulsating approach on the drum set.
His eight minute unaccompanied solo before the end of the first half had the entire audience holding their breath.
Punctuating measures of drumming with decreasing intervals of silence, Ellington focused on each part of the drum set, placing a special emphasis on the bass drum throughout. During his solos, he seemed more concerned with sound itself rather than showing his expertise or exhibitng gimmickery.
Fully immersed in his playing as well as the musical changes occurring around him, Ellington added a strong fourth solo voice to the quartet.
A pleasant surprise was the playing of tenor saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi. With a sound and playing style deceptively similar to mix of John Coltrane and Dexter Gordon, Bergonzi was equally comfortable with originals as he was with time-honored standards.
Though his demeanor was unassuming and relaxed, his sound told a different story; it was intense and energetic, revealing another aspect of his playing influenced by Coltrane. During several numbers, he got so far into improvising that he started playing notes that the tenor saxophone is not built to produce, another trademark of Coltrane's style.
The quartet will be in town till tomorrow. They will hold a workshop on "signalling and non-verbal communication in the rhythm section" from 10 a.m. to 12 noon in Spaulding Auditorium.
Galper will lead a workshop titled "How to Practice" from 7-9 p.m. in Hartman Rehearsal Hall.
Judging by last night's concert, you're probably in for a few more surprises if you go to today's workshops.
The quartet also has a a recent release on Enja records. Though it features all the artists in top form, it somehowdoes not capture the essence of the quartet. Forthat, only the live performance will do.
