Jazz Concert Reaches Beyond Branford

The sky began to change near the start of the Oli Silk and JJ Sansaverino jazz concert on the Branford Green last Thursday night. One look at the Weather Channel website on your cell phone indicated thunderstorms might well play a role in the fourth scheduled concert of the Branford Jazz Series.

Turned out there was no rain or thunder, but Oli and JJ made sure there was plenty of lightning with their dynamic music. A large crowd filled the town green from Branford and beyond. 

The highly regarded duo didn’t disappoint the large turnout on the hot and humid evening. Silk, who plays the keys, is referred to as ​“an incredible pianist, composer and entertainer” and has produced five CDs. Here the group kicks off the show.

Three of the melodies played by the group in the first set were written by him and included, ​“Where I Left Off,” which is also the name of his album, ​“Burning Up the Carnival,” and ​“Easy Does It” from his ​“So Many Ways” album. He is a native of London and frequently comes to the U.S. to perform.Here Silk performs during his song ​“Take Me Away.”

Guitarist Sansaverino (pictured)hails from Jamaica, Queens, and is noted as an “outstanding performer, composer, arranger and musical director in the world of smooth jazz, R&B, world music and fusion.” His earned repu}tation says he is “one of the hardest working musicians on the scene” and has a “take no prisoners attitude and musical style.” 

He had the prestigious honor of performing at Sir Paul McCartney’s wedding to Heather Mills in June 2002 and became a regular on the NBC’s Today Show, performing at such notable venues as Madison Square Garden, Lincoln Center, Beacon Theater, and the Kennedy Center.

All of the advance hoopla painted a picture that a special night would be in store on the Branford Green, and it sure turned out that way. Here is Dean James on drums.

And Hubert Eaves on bass. 

Despite the ominous sky, it didn’t look like anyone left the Green early as the group continued to play, and even returned for an encore. They were joined by the talented duo of James on drums and Eaves on base.

It didn’t take long for the audience to get into the groove either as many were up dancing throughout the two-set performance. Sometimes dancing can be very stressful.

Most in attendance were from Branford but a number of folks came from nearby Guilford, North Branford, Madison, and East Haven while others surveyed said they came from Greenwich, Stamford, Milford, and Cheshire. Here Eric Triffin of Orange gets into the music with Tina Marlowe of Branford.

Ralph Zingarella (pictured), a retired high school teacher from Cheshire, who was there with some members of his family, said during intermission, ​“I’ve heard about these jazz concerts in Branford from friends who have been here and they said they were great. I like jazz, and I’m enjoying these guys very much. We’ll be back.”

Even the youngsters in the audience were having a good time with each other.

Sansaverino introduced Joyce Aloia (pictured) of Madison from the stage and told the audience that she ​“hardly misses” any of his shows when he’s performing. He thanked her for her support and loyalty over the years.

Then they played her favorite song, ​“Europa,” especially for her. A standing ovation followed.
 
There are two jazz concerts this week. On Thursday, the Shawnn Monteiro trio takes the stage at 6:30 p.m. and on Friday the rescheduled Peliroja ensemble will perform on the Green at 7 p.m.

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