Photos/Writer: Rudy Lu

Keyboards and Savannah Harris’ drums joined for a few refrains before the saxophone and guitar entered. All gave their own contributions to this classic. Nicole Glover played a fine tenor sax for this, but it was somewhat buried in the crowded midrange in the soundstage. An alto or soprano sax would have broken through. Or perhaps I was fondly recalling Joe Farrell’s soprano on the original recording from the early 70s. Savannah Harris gave this piece a climax with a drum solo to rival drum solos.

Savannah Harris’ composition “More Is” followed as a bookend to bandmate’s “Smo” with a march and CM strapping on a electric bass to give the music a NOLA flavor.

The show ended with relatively recent composition of CM, “Brouhaha”. The electric bass was then played with as much expertise as the double bass during the prior numbers. More on the funk side. “Brouhaha” could have been placed in a set headed up by the late Jaco Pastorius or the more contemporary Lettuce without any difficulty.

This concert is the first of a series named after Don McCormack, the founder of the Skidmore Jazz Institute. The rest of the series is as follows:

• November 22: Dorado Schmitt and Sons: Django Festival All-Stars, and Hot Club of Saratog
• April 5, 2025: Alfredo Rodriguez Trio
• May 1, 2025: Veronica Swift

Setlist:

Brother Malcolm, SMO, Elevation, La Fiesta, More Is, Brouhaha

Gallery: