A small crowded room, filled to the brim with wiggling, sweaty bodies – and the music hadn’t even started yet.
Tuesday night, Market Square’s Café 4 and The Square Room welcomed the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra and world-renowned musician Brian Lynch for “Simpático: Latin Jazz Meets the Big Band” concert.
The evening began with Vance Thompson, trumpet player, founder and director of the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra and lecturer of Studio Music and Jazz for the School of Music at UT. Thompson greeted the small audience and introduced the band before welcoming Lynch to the stage and the city.
Lynch is known worldwide for his intricate trumpet skills and impressive work alongside influential musicians like legendary jazz drummer and bandleader, Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers in 1988. Lynch was also a member of the Horace Silver Quintet from 1982 to 1985. Silver was a jazz pianist and composer who passed away in June.
After performing the first number, which featured standout performances on the trombone and saxophone, Lynch addressed the crowd.
“Thank you,” Lynch said. “I’m glad to be here with old friends like Greg and to be making some new friends.”
The band consisted of a brass section including trombones and trumpets. There was a small woodwind section of clarinets, flutes and alto and tenor saxophones, as well as drums, cello and piano.
The music was loud, fast and unabashed. The setlist included songs from Lynch’s Grammy award wining collaborative album with Eddie Palmieri, titled “Simpático.” In addition to skillful and lengthy solos performed by Lynch, Greg Tardy, UT assistant professor of jazz saxophone, executed memorable, soulful solos.
After performing a number of pieces of melodic gems off of “Simpático,” there was a brief intermission for eager fans to buy CDs and have them signed by KJO and Brian Lynch.
Following the intermission, the music returned to full swing with an original composition called “Peer Pressure.”
“This was my first real record, and I say record because it was a real LP vinyl, remember those?” Lynch asked, as the audience erupted into laughter.
The band continued with an elegant ballad which was first recorded by Freddie Hubbard and Art Blakey’s band, “Skylark.”
Near the end of the show, excited fans begged for an encore until Lynch and Tardy proceeded to play a string of complicated notes to appease them.
“Well, it is over all too soon,” Lynch said as the performance closed. “That was the last number. I guess you got to have me back!”
Afterward, Thompson spoke with fans and to greet his young daughter.
“I think it was one of the hardest shows we ever played,” Thompson said of his performance with Lynch. “It was very challenging but very fun. The music had a lot of notes that weren’t that close together, but watching (Lynch) play was the best part. I can’t believe that somebody can do that on the trumpet; it’s ridiculous.”
