by Kevin T McEneaney
With nineteen musicians and female singer Jamile Staevie Ayres crowding the stage at The Stissing Center, the concert hall took off to Saturn where the music is far out. Composer, arranger, pianist, and director, Mike Holober presented an oratorio for voice, cello, and percussion which they will be recording early next as an album. The program, This Rock We’re On: Imaginary Letters, voiced letters about the world of nature which humanity is leaving behind. While transmitting ecological angst, beauty of the natural world, was the theme. This was a longer than usual jazz concert with twenty-seven numbers and an audience that happily had their exercise in hand clapping.
They opened with a marvelous musical and voice arrangement of a poem by Wendell Berry, “On this Rock,” which praised nature and projected hope for life with love and wisdom. Another inspiration came from a letter about summer from environmentalist Rachel Carson, which was followed by an orchestral celebration of her work with five saxophones threatening to break the sound barrier with a memorable crescendo. Yes, this was a jazz orchestra with classical music inflection and arrangement—something like an archipelago of diverse islands connecting the continent of jazz to the continent of classical music. There were varied rhythms from cool jazz to bosa nova to classical jazz fusion with an improvisational edge in saxophone solos.
I was especially struck by the cool arrangement of “To Virginia,” the lyrics of which were a poem from photographer Ansel Adams to Virginia Best Adams. This work will remain an enduring classic in the American repertoire. The poem and music melded with astonishment! Likewise, the series built around the climate change writer Terry Tempest Williams was eloquent in song as well as its musical epilogue, “Tower Pulse,” which created a tower of music with trumpets, trombones, and saxophones.
The song “Noetry” taking the form of a letter written to a tree by Robin Wall Kimmerer, scientist, and indigenous member of the Potawatomi Nation, was both sophisticated and simple, ending with the extermination of poetry; its companion musical work “Skywoman Falling” displayed interesting musical dynamics.
Hiding Out (ZOHO Music, 2019), a double CD featuring two multi-movement suites inspired by the natural world, was nominated for a 2020 GRAMMY® Award (Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album). With accomplished lyrics and masterful compositions This Rock We’re On will certainly be headed for another nomination.
Singer Jamile Staevie Ayres displayed a wide range of inflection with a voice that held emotion close to her heart. The miking of her voice might have been better from a technical point of view. Trumpeter Marvin Stamm could be heard with clarity and sylvan tone. Jared Schonig on drums was precise without attempting spotlight showmanship. I enjoyed the improvisational edge of Jason Rigby’s saxophone. Bassist John Jon Herbert was the pillar holding the up the floor. And last, but not least, was prominent cellist Jodi Redhage Ferber who held forth with numerous interlude solos which contributed to texture and mood as well as overall sound. Composer Mile Holober is becoming a national treasure.
This was a most unusual concert. The Stissing Center may not be a mega-concert hall, yet it remains a venue that attracts top performers and programs.
