Last Thursday, during the NYC Composers Concert at the Harlem School of the Arts, the audience was relatively calm and respectfully subdued until they were enlivened by Eddie Venegas’ “Viaje de Cantos.” Different rhythmic expressions emerged from “La Sabana,” “Merengue y Costa,” and “Cubayork,” the last of which was the most energetic part of his composition. Unlike the concert’s other composers, the Venezuelan-born musician participated in the performance, alternating between violin and trombone. Of particular note were his exchanges on trombone with violinist Ashley Horne. His blend of classical, Latino, and jazz was, in effect, a summary of sounds heard during the evening.
On Don Byron’s “String Quartet No. 2, Four Thoughts on Marvin Gaye,” the performers, Claire Chan (violin), Ashley Horne (violin), William Frampton (viola), and Wayne Smith (cello) — all members of the Harlem Chamber Players — embellished the classical mode by tapping and plucking their strings when not bowing. That rhythmic component, to some degree, accentuated the bassoon duet between Amy Fraser and David Miller on Tommy James’ “4ths and Mains.” While Miller attended to the ostinato beat (“something that repeats”), Fraser supplied the melodic riffs.
Some improvised elements emerged when Premik Tubbs’ tenor saxophone interacted with the string quartet on Carman Moore’s “To Mars and Beyond.” In several ways, Moore’s extraterrestrial flights extended Norman Weiss’ “Reverie,” which, though brief, gave Setsuko Otake’s oboe a chance to add a taste of melancholy. After the intermission, Dr. Vanessa K. Valdés commanded the floor with a short but effective tribute to the late Raoul Abdul (1929-2010), who, were he alive, would have included a review of this concert in his weekly Amsterdam News column. He would have been enthusiastic about the mix of musical genres and the superb musicianship that gave the concert a special resonance.
Joining the Harlem Chamber Players were Gabriela Rengel (violin), Orlando Wells (viola), Zachary Brown (cello), and members of the Sweet Plantain Quartet, who accompanied bassist Anthony Morris during Venegas’ performance. Liz Player, executive and artistic director, provided closing remarks to the splendid evening.
