by Don Henke
Dayton Daily News
Sunday, March 2, 2003

Last weekend's jazz got off to a hot start on Thursday night with Cityfolk artist-in-residence Steve Wilson playing his alto saxophone with Centerville High School's three big bands. The school has 49 students in their three jazz ensembles. There were very good solos by alto saxophonist Peter Schomburg, baritone saxophonist Scott Gasaway, tenor saxophonist Rem Merry, bassist Emily Katowik and drummer Matt Borns.

The piece de resistance, though, came on the very last number of the evening. The tune was Spyro Gyra's Cockatoo, arranged for big band by Les Hooper. Wilson and senior guitarist Brandon Brahm exchanged fours and twos in a series that brought down the house. Look for this young man to go far.

Later the same evening, fleet-fingered guitarist Derek DiCenzo was guest artist with the house quartet at the Jazz Room at Pacchia. The group played jazz classics like Joe Henderson's Recorda Me, Charlie Parker's Yardbird Suite and Thelonious Monk's In Walked Bud.

Friday night, Tom Lipps brought a quartet into Pacchia with bassist Lars Miller, drummer Mike Minarcek and saxophonist Jeff Kirk. Lipps is one of the finest young pianists around and likes to search familiar tunes for nuances that are different, as he did with Billy Strayhorn's Take the "A" Train.

Another pianistic explorer is Jeff Hufnagle, who found a lot of nuances in Thelonious Monk's Round Midnight before Pamela Mallory joined him at Charley's Web Friday night. Picking up on that, Mallory sang several ballads, including Wild Is the Wind and Only Trust Your Heart.

The following night found more ballads at Frederick's Place, as three master musicians plied their trade. The Mike Teckenbrock Trio, besides the leader on flugelhorn, included Jeff Hufnagle again on piano and Eddie Brookshire on bass. The trio played Mal Waldron's Soul Eyes and others. Maybe it was the weather that caused all the ballads, but they were beautiful.