Juilliard Jazz Och The Music of the Big Bands - Guest Conductor Vince Giordano and Vocalist Hilary Gardner

The Juilliard Jazz Orchestra continues to flourish and amaze.  This is of course due to the talented young musicians who train very hard with the benefit of dedicated gifted teachers & the support of Wynton Marsalis.  Last night, grammy-winning conductor & multi-instrumentalist Vince Giordano returned to conduct & mentor the students in the jazz orch. & to enlighten and engage us with his vast knowledge & passion for jazz's legacy & for its foray in the future.  Giordano's infectious enthusiasm carries over to both the musicians and the audience alike.  The program was comprised of the music of Fletcher Henderson, Eddie Durham and Bill Challis.  Giordano spoke about what arrangers bring to musical compositions.  The jazz students receive training in arranging as well as instrumental performance.  The horn section utilized large plugs; some large enough to double as bowler hats which the section donned with dapper style.  Other horn plugs gave the whaling wah wah sounds of the big band era & the muted accents to jazz riffs.  The bass player slapped the strings with a flat hand which was popular in the 1920s & '30s.  Three guest violinists played in the first set adding a classical texture that enriched the musical arrangements.  In the 2nd set, Giordano brought in vocalist Hilary Gardner who sang WHAM by taps Miller/Eddie Durham.  Gardner is a veteran B'wy performer & recording artist.  Her singing was incredible.  The Juilliard school brings in top talent to mentor & inspire the young artists; next generation's prof. performers.  I have to call out Julius Rodrigues on piano for his mastery of tinkling the ivories and trumpet player Given Gelin for his masterful performance.  The numbers I particularly enjoyed were BOLERO the classical piece by Ravel arr. by Fletcher Henderson which was surprising, RUMBA NEGRO by Count Bessie; reminiscent of Ellington's THE MOOCHE and EVERY TUB also by Count Bessie & arr. by Eddie Durham.   Giordano told the audience & the orch. improvisation was a major part of jazz & they were going to be spontaneous and do some improvising on EVERY TUB.  The term is a code for most band members getting a solo.  This brought on quick conferrals onstage amongst the musicians and a slight faux pas when both a trombonist & saxophone player both stood simultaneously for a solo.  The sax player sat (he got a solo later) and Giordano said that's what happens sometimes in jazz and what keeps it fresh, fun and alive.  Giordano was also right in encouraging everyone to bring their friends, family, even youngsters to live performances and keep jazz thriving.