The Plain Dealer - Music Review
1st intertwining proves great mix of talent, styles

Steve Sucato
Special to the Plain Dealer

The first joint performance by the Cleveland Pops Orchestra and the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra at Severance Hall on Friday night had plenty of heads bobbing, legs bouncing and toes tapping. And that was just from the members of the orchestras.

Those fortunate enough to have attended the nearly sold-out performance of "Side by Side," which kicked off the pops orchestra's 10th anniversary season, were treated to a delightful mix of jazz and jazz-influenced works.

After a rousing opening number by both orchestras, the CPO performed "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue," from Richard Rodgers' 1936 Broadway hit "On Your Toes." In it, sweeping strings, forceful percussion and a well-tempered performance by the orchestra brought a real visual feel to Rodgers' score.

The pops orchestra also delivered a stellar performance in the hip, finger-snapping, back-alley scuttle, the theme from "Catch Me If You Can" by John Williams. Of the jazz orchestra's solo efforts in the program's first half, Bob Brookmeyer's "Boom Boom," a smooth jazz tune with bite featuring CJO leader Jack Schantz on trumpet, was the highlight. The CJO delivered a big sound that made its 17 members sound three times their size.

The program's second half brought the two orchestras together on four works, opening with a tongue-in-cheek rendition of excerpts from "The Nutcracker" that featured competing versions of Tchaikovsky's score played by the CPO and Duke Ellington's score played by the CJO. It was followed by the evening's finest performance by both groups, Alex North's "Spartacus." In it, jazz orchestra saxophonist John Klayman's dreamy solo floated above a multilayered blanket of heart-tugging strings, soulful horns and woodwinds, and heavenly transitions.

Rounding out the program were a Duke Ellington medley featuring the creamy voice of guest vocalist Susan Hesse, and Dave Brubeck's classic "Blue Rondo a la Turk."

Wonderfully dense with quality solos by pops orchestra conductor Carl Topilow on clarinet, saxophonist Kent Englehardt, Schantz, and others, as well as polished performances by each orchestra, the show's star turned out to be CPO and CJO trombonist Paul Ferguson, whose arrangements intertwined both orchestras brilliantly. "Side by Side" proved a gem that yielded a standing ovation and clamoring for an encore that hopefully won't be another 10 years in the making.

Steve Sucato is a free-lance writer in Erie, PA. To reach Sucato:
entertainment@plaind.com

© 2005 The Plain Dealer. Used with permission.