According to guitarist Chris Morrison, the host of Tuesday night’s inaugural jazz jam session at Three Sheets, New Haven “has such a rich jazz history” and he and his friends were here tonight “trying to carry that torch.”
The Jazz Haven Sessions first show held that torch high and let it blaze for three hours with little rest. The sessions are organized by a subcommittee of Jazz Haven, an organization that promotes and supports jazz in the New Haven area, made up of Nick DiMaria, Eric Murray, and Herb Wilson. Jazz itself developed in late-night sessions where musicians were able to “truly cut their teeth … it’s on the job training,” DiMaria said, with experienced musicians crossing paths with younger musicians, creating a community that “keeps the music thriving.”
DiMaria mentioned how years ago the norm would be for jazz musicians (such as Miles Davis) to be in someone else’s band for years before going out and forming their own bands and spreading the music. “That doesn’t really happen anymore,” DiMaria said. Jazz jams “fill that gap.” He encouraged as many people to be involved as possible, saying that “it’s about community, not just the musicians, but the fans as well.”
The Jazz Haven Sessions are scheduled to run every Tuesday from here on, alternating between Three Sheets (in the old Rudy’s spot at 372 Elm St.) and Pacific Standard Tavern on Crown Street. Sessions will begin at 7:30 p.m. with tunes by the house band. From 8:30 to 10:30, the stage will be open for a jam session. The house band and host will differ each week. This week’s host was Morrison, with Mike Nunno on bass and Gil Hawkins, Jr. on drums. Nunno and Hawkins played the entire night, setting a steady beat behind each and every song played and offering substantial solos that never revealed any degree of fatigue.
The night opened with the trio working through a blistering three-song set. The band was then joined by Dan D’Onofrio on flugelhorn, Michael Levanthal on tenor saxophone, and Allen Lowe on alto saxophone. Each musician took a turn at a solo and then played together. Andrew Bresken joined in on the next song with his alto saxophone. Morrison then announced that, after a short break, anyone who wanted to play should come up and introduce themselves. Morrison guided the events of the night with joy and kindness, making sure to acknowledge and introduce each musician who joined the jam after their time concluded. This camaraderie and kindness spread throughout the night, as the room was consistently packed with fans and performers alike for the entire three hours.
The second set saw George Gadacy take over guitar from Morrison for one song while the horn section was made fuller by the addition of Andrew Beal on alto saxophone and Herb Wilson on tenor sax. Jack Lawrence took a turn on guitar during this set and soprano sax was added courtesy of Ryan Asbridge.
After one more break and before the third set, DiMaria took to the stage to thank everyone and invite them back for next week’s session at Pacific Standard Tavern and reminded everyone to check out their website and Facebook page. Gary Grippo joined the final set on guitar, as did DiMaria on trumpet, and once again the full horn section alternated between solos and combo work, culminating in much cheering and enthusiasm from the audience. All of the musicians left the stage with the joy of the evening’s festivities obvious on their faces.
Craig O’Connell, president of Jazz Haven, mentioned how pleased he was with the turnout for the first night. He noted as DiMaria did earlier that this was as much for the fans as it was for the musicians, and also talked about the importance of keeping the jazz tradition alive and thriving.
Karen Ponzio Photo
Morrison mentioned before the show that all three of the musicians in the house band had played at Three Sheets many years back when it was the original Rudy’s. There was a jazz jam every Tuesday night then. DiMaria hadn’t known that, and the fact made him smile widely. It seems some traditions find a way to return and be reborn.