On Feb. 25, Orchestre Classique de Montréal (OCM) presented Jazz & Jeans in Montreal’s Pierre Mercure Hall. A program of great symphonic jazz repertoire—from Gershwin to Ellington to arrangements by Miles Davis—was played by an orchestra of jeaned musicians.
Jeans are worn on casual days at work. For many, especially classically trained musicians, jazz is thought to be a more casual, laid-back style of music. Yet jazz has its own set of rules. Chord changes, swinging eighth notes, improvisation … the aspects that distinguish jazz from classical music demand serious study.
Though they may have worn jeans, soloists Paul Merkelo (trumpet) and Matt Herskowitz (piano) take jazz very seriously. The OCM, on the other hand, did not have the right sound or overall feeling for this music to properly support such stellar soloists.
Matt Herskowitz (piano) and the OCM. Photo: Tam Lan Truong
What you missed?
If you have never seen pianist Matt Herskowitz perform live, I highly recommend that you put it on your bucket list. A virtuoso equally at ease in classical and jazz styles, his musical vocabulary is brilliantly vast. His improvisations on the cadences of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue was the absolute highlight of the concert. At times galvanically fast, at other times weighted and chordal, Herskowitz’s improvisation was reminiscent of Latin groove music, contemporary jazz, and Rachmaninoff.
Each time Herskowitz’s fingers touched the keys, the audience was transported into distant musical stratospheres. Yet Herskowitz always brought us home to the main theme—the famous clarinet melody that opens the piece—in very clever, unexpected ways. This performance received an enthusiastic standing ovation right in the middle of the concert, which it very much deserved.
Trumpetist Paul Merkelo played Harry James’ virtuosic jazz concerto and melodies of the Great American Songbook with equal prowess. His tone ranged from deep and rumbling to extremely sunny and bright, and his playing was always extremely precise without feeling uptight. Though principally a classical musician, Merkelo plays jazz swimmingly. Like Herskowitz, he has an absolute command of his instrument and is able to transition, almost seamlessly, between a variety of musical idioms.
His performance of Jean-Nicholas Trottier’s arrangement of Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain was another highlight of the concert. In this piece, Merkelo’s trumpet tone was as fiery as a hot, red Spanish sunset. The flamenco character of the original was preserved, but Trottier’s arrangement also included a classical influence: Mozart, who was active in Germany at the same time that flamenco originated in Spain. Quotes from his Turkish March and the Queen of the Night aria from The Magic Flute were subtly, yet convincingly, embedded into the work.
Paul Merkelo (trumpet) and the OCM. Photo: Tam Lan Truong
Gripes:
This concert was carried by its program and soloists. The orchestra, on the other hand, was surprisingly underwhelming. My first impression was that their sound was rather thin. I kept trying to find a reason why: were they playing on poor quality instruments? Or was it the acoustic of the hall? Perhaps it was the smaller size of the orchestra that was to blame? Indeed, the orchestra’s sound—rather tinny at times, and lacking in strong dynamics—had me scratching my head throughout the show.
Yet the more I listened, the more I couldn’t deny that something wasn’t quite right with the orchestral accompaniment. The orchestra’s great return to the theme at the end of Rhapsody in Blue, after the piano had been whirling in a grand sea of improvisation, was very underwhelming. This entrance was not played with the confidence and loud dynamics that it deserves. The phrasing was rather plain. Again, in Gershwin’s American in Paris, the bass’ pizzicatos sounded rather thin and square instead of full-bodied and resonant.
The rhythmic feeling between the jazz soloists and orchestra was also rather disjunct. While the soloists were swinging their notes, the orchestra abided by the classical norm of even rhythms. Cladding orchestral musicians in jeans, unfortunately, does not give them the skills to play jazz.
Orchestre classique de Montréal’s next concert, Opera Candy, the Gourmet Adventure of Hansel and Gretel, takes place at Montreal’s Pierre Mercure Hall on Apr. 6. www.en.orchestre.ca/
