When alto-saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie hit the jazz scene in the 1940s, few predicted that the course of jazz music would be changed forever.
Be-bop, the music that Parker and Gillespie conceived, also had a few derivatives, including hard-bop and re-bop.
The Hal Galper trio, a jazz group that will perform at Rollins Chapel tonight,is best known for its interpretations of standards and originals in the re-bop tradition.And though they maintain a relatively low profile, their music largely speaks for itself.It is a mix of the fare that be-boppers played and "cool-jazz," developed by the Miles Davis quintet in the 1950s but with a degree of lyrical improvisation that is absent in most jazz groups today.
Comprising pianist Hal Galper, drummer Steve Ellington and acoustic bassist Jeff Johnson, the trio has a unique voice: subtle and quiet, but intense and energetic at the same time.
Galper, a graduate of Boston's Berklee School of Music, is the most prominent voice in the trio's latest recording, "Re-Bop."
His style, however, is hardly reminiscent of be-bop. He has a light touch on the keyboard, undoubtedly and influence of the late pianist Bill Evans, and he has a tendency to understate melody lines and place more emphasis on chords. Especially noteworthy is the empathy and exceptional level of communication that exists within the trio and with tenorman Jerry Bergonzi.
Tickets for tomorrow night's 8 p.m. concert are available at the Hopkins Center for the Performing Arts Box office. The trio will also hold three workshops tomorrow that will be open to the public.
