By Marilyn Lester***Drawing mostly from his latest CD, Early Blue Evening, award-winning jazz composer, arranger and saxophonist, Andy Farber, brought his orchestra to Birdland Jazz Club for an early evening of inspired jazz wizardry. Even with several subs in the big band (it was Mother’s Day, after all), the sound was in the pocket, and leader Farber was in top form. One of the pluses of a Farber concert is that he’s not only musically gifted, but has a dry wit that makes for a lot of fun for both the players and audience. It’s no mean feat to foster a convivial atmosphere among band members and also have them seriously snap to attention when the music starts.
The band has been together for some time, and during the run of the Broadway musical, After Midnight, which dove deep into the music of Duke Ellington and the Cotton Club, Andy Farber and his Orchestra was on-stage for the 300 performances of the show. Early Blue Evening is Farber’s fourth CD release as a leader, featuring his own compositions. With a background that includes Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, it’s no surprise that a bulk of his compositions are, as Marsalis would put it, built on the Ellington ethic. One such is “Feet and Frames,” a swinging homage to motifs in film and television music. Likewise, “Fanfare on Fairfax” evokes a Hollywood of long ago in its golden age, neatly composed with clever tempo changes and a delightful solo by guitarist James Chirillo.
The title song of the CD, “Early Blue Evening,” showcased Farber’s own skill as a player, this time on the alto saxophone (he also plays tenor, as well as baritone). The tune is a lyrical ballad, evocative of mood, a talent Farber possesses in spades. Likewise, “The Holidaymakers,” with its Caribbean undertones, a la an Ellington Afro-Cuban influence, conjures up the classic big bands of Cuba in the Desi Arnaz era, such as the Orquesta Casino de la Playa. Ellington was directly represented with a surprise guest, jazz vocalist Olivia Chindamo, whose smooth, smoky tone, enviable range and perfect phrasing, gave swinging life to “In a Mellotone” (lyric by Milton Gabler).
Two non-Farber tunes ended the set. The first was a toe-tapping “The Odd Couple,” the brightly, lightly syncopated theme by Neal Hefti, written for the 1968 film and used in the subsequent 1970s television series of the same name. Of the many reeds employed during the set, this number used the curved soprano saxophone—fun to see (it looks like a toy), played by Jay Brandford, and also featured a jolly, skillful solo by Adam Birnbaum on piano. In a Count Basie-esque closer of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” (Cole Porter), with Farber on alto sax letting loose on some fine improvisation, the band whipped up a hard-driving swing that put a satisfying cap on a blazing evening of solid jazz.
Other band members of Andy Farber and his Orchestra were: Trumpets: Bryan Davis, Brandon Lee, Chris Rogers, Irv Grossman; Trombones: James Burton III, Art Baron, Willie Applewhite; Saxophones: Jay Brandford and Marc Schwartz (altos), Dan Block (clarinet and tenor), Evan Harris (tenor), Kurt Bacher (baritone); plus Jennifer Vincent on bass and Alvester Garnett on drums.
