I don’t always use the word “thrilling” for music, but that was just right for the concert given by composer-arranger Max Seigel with his Nonet at St. John’s Lutheran Church Saturday night.
Photograph by Nathan Tokunaga.
The Nonet shares its instrumentation with the famous “Birth of the Cool” group, but it is neither a tribute band or a repertory orchestra playing the 1949-50 arrangements. Rather, it is a startlingly fine orchestral canvas for Max Seigel’s expansive imagination and the talents of New York City’s first-call players: Scott Wendholt, trumpet; Jay Rattman, alto saxophone; Eric Davis, French horn; Matt McDonald, trombone; Frank Basile, baritone saxophone; Marcus Rojas, tuba; Leo Genovese, piano; Scott Ritchie, double bass; Paul Francis, drum set; Max Seigel, compositions and arrangements.
I asked Max about the group’s origin, This nonet came about after Covid. The first live music that I went to hear out and about again after lockdown was my friend Joe Policastro’s “Mulligan Mosaics” nonet in Chicago. They were playing the original Birth of the Cool arrangements and it was fantastic to hear that sound live as opposed to the recordings that I grew up listening to. I decided to send Joe an arrangement. After starting with one, it led to 30 charts now for the band with me wondering why the original nonet only existed for a year or two back in 1949-50. We play maybe 3 or 4 times a year. We have played at the Deer Head Inn many times as well as single engagements at Smalls, Ornithology, and the Jazz Gallery here in NYC. One of these days I hope to record the band, but funding is not there right now.
Any record company executives reading this now? We can hope.
Meanwhile, here are three performances from last night’s concert. Thanks to Janet Sora Chung and St. John’s Lutheran Church for making this wonderful explosion possible. Max’s TENTH DIMENSION; Bunny Wailer’s REINCARNATED SOULS; the Thirties classic THESE FOOLISH THINGS:
I left the concert feeling that Max’s Nonet could do anything, with vigor, grace, and surprise. Except, of course, they can’t be dull or predictable. Leave that to others.
May your happiness increase!
JAZZ LIVES 