I was so glad that not
only did they (Cornet Chop Suey) return last year, but they followed the
festival this year to its new location in Wallingford, CT. I have to
admit that they are my favorite band (save for the Galvanized Jazz Band,
about whom I cannot claim objectivity, being blood-related) at the festival,
and I shamelessly watched three out of four of their sessions on Saturday.
These guys are dynamic. Like the Bluelights, they pull
you in with the first note, not only with the sound but with the SOUND!
They are loud! But whereas some bands might play loudly to distract from
their lack of capability, Cornet Chop Suey play loud because they can.
Front and center are a
two-handed trumpet played by Tommy Tucker (who has a smile alone which reaches out over the audience
and brings them in like a net) and a one-handed cornet played by the
impressive-looking Brian Casserly (with his derby, black horn-rimmed glasses,
and triangle beard, he looks unlike anyone I’ve seen in all these other
bands). Front and left and right are the trombone and sax (Brett Stamps and
Jerry Epperson respectively). Al Sherman plays a skinny upright string bass
that joins my mental collection of fascinating-to-look-at instruments.
Because Cornet Chop Suey is my favorite band at the
festival, which means I listen to the Music deeply and nothing else, I
cannot for the most part recite the names of the songs they played at the
festival. A couple of exceptions: session 2 during which they played their
“most frequently requested song, “Over the Rainbow.” Oh, their version
overshadows July Garland any day --- picture the brass literally soaring
over the rainbow and showering down like a shaken pot of gold, all around
you – the brass players leaving the stage and slowly strolling up and down
the aisles to the back of the pavilion. You are so used to facing stage
front that you do not realize that they are standing right behind you or
beside you until those “somewhere….” notes bloom in your ear. They continue
to wrap the song around you, working their way back to the stage, Brian Casserly gently shaking hands in the audience like pressing a blessing.
The 2nd I’ll-always-remember exception is
session 3, Cornet Chop Suey’s tribute to Louis Armstrong. Think of seeing a
segment of Ken Burns’ “Jazz” live on stage. This history lesson includes
spoken word by Brian Casserly, while Paul Reid provides background piano
narration on piano (as well as a feels-like-Satchmo-is-alive-and-present
impression of his singing voice). The set so accurately puts one in the
clubs of New Orleans, in time and place, that one quivers between a
breath-taking feeling of time travel and a poignant regret that Armstrong is
no longer alive and present.
Brian Casserly
After reciting due recognition to King Oliver, Lil
Hardin, and the phenomenon of “Hello Dolly,” Brian Casserly respectfully
removes his hat (the only time you will see him without it) and ends the set
with “What a Wonderful World.” Not sung in Louis’ trademark voice (this
done with extreme capability by Paul Reid, as I mention earlier) but in his
own. And so I must add to the talents of Cornet Chop Suey, Brian Casserly in
particular, that the man can sing. He has a beautiful tenor which ranges
all the way to the ceiling (again, he sings LOUDLY, but the notes are all
intact). I appreciate the way Cornet Chop Suey has taken this song and
made it their own, and it works.
Cornet Chop Suey had one more set that evening, which I
did not see, my excuse being that I had to drive back to Milford that night
and it was getting late, but the truth is that I wanted to leave with
session 3 last in my mind. For me, what better way to end a day of jazz,
people-spotting, and sunshine with “What a Wonderful World”?
The 2010 Great CT Jazz Festival will be
July 30 - August 1 at the
Sheraton Four Points Hotel, located at
275 Research Parkway
in Meriden, just a few miles north of Mountain Ridge.
There will be several indoor and outdoor venues.
Full weekend passes are now available;
call 1-800-468-3836 (1-800-Hot Event) to get yours now!
To Sponsor a band next year, see
http://greatctjazz.org/Sponsor.html
