SJO puts spotlight on ‘Young Giants’
The Spokane Jazz Orchestra is bringing the underground to the surface.
Saturday’s concert features selections from underground jazz greats, showcases Spokane’s up-and-coming young jazzers in the SJO Young Giants of Jazz, and climaxes with a set featuring upright jazz bassist and singer Kristen Korb.
Korb, who recently married and moved to Denmark, has gained international acclaim. The Montana native is returning to the States for the first time to embark on a mini-tour where she is playing a collection of songs she commissioned from some of the top arrangers in jazz, such as Kim Richmond, Tom Kubis, Bill Mays and Gordon Goodwin.
Backed by the SJO – the longest-running community big band in the nation – Korb will be singing and playing upright bass at the same time, a challenging feat to pull off with a small combo much less a big band, all while premiering five new works by those world-famous arrangers.
“Playing upright bass and singing at the same time is extremely difficult,” said Tom Molter, SJO’s music director. “And she’ll be doing it with big band charts. She’s commissioned some of the biggest names in jazz for these songs and they are not easy. These arrangements have a fresh and modern approach to harmony and rhythm. And not only is she playing bass and singing, she is moving the band. The bass is the wheels of the big band.”
A student of legendary bassist Ray Brown, Korb’s first album, “Introducing Kristin Korb” was arranged by Brown and recorded with his trio. Her latest album features a set of inventive arrangements of jazz standards with the help of jazz greats Bob Sheppard, Nick Mancini, Llew Matthews, Steve Barnes and Larry Koonse.
Korb also serves as the president-elect for the International Society of Bassists.
Before Korb takes the stage, the big band will shine the spotlight on some of the outstanding high school-aged jazz players, selected from an area competition, including Mt. Spokane High School bass guitarist Marc Harper, Shadle Park alto saxophonist Bobby Harris, Cheney trumpeter Chris Knox and trombonist Jacob Weisgerber, and Ferris guitarist Teague Starbuck.
Along with the “Young Giants,” the SJO will be performing tunes from underground jazz artists, anchored largely by bebop artists such as Thelonious Monk, Charlie Mingus, and Dizzy Gillespie, and one tune by the SJO’s own pianist Brent Edstrom.