Discovery Jazz Quintet
Saturday, 13 August 2011 at 2pm • Chris Church Cathedral

Performers Andrew Rasmussen, piano; Andrew Littleford, trumpet; Chad Leyte, guitar; Sean Cronin, bass; Andrew Millar, drums

Reviewer Ed Farolan



 

"Discovery" was purposely put to refer to this quintet because it was their first concert last Satuday, and again, to celebrate the "Discovery Day" of this year's Musicfest's way of recognizing talent from Vancouver.

Unlike Vicky Chow or Muhamed Assani who have performed internationally, this quintet is just beginning its career, but it did show a lot of promise from their one-hour performance last Saturday. The pieces performed were all originals mostly composed by Leyte, Rasmussen, and Littleford, the latter serving as the host introducing each piece played by the band.

The compositions by these three are classic soft jazz, slow-paced, just right for what's referred to in radio as "for your listening pleasure". I was reminded of Chad Atkins (without the vocals) who played this kind of jazz, unlike most jazz bands that are high-keyed and fast-paced. I liked looking at Leyte's facial expressions as he played his guitar.

Some of the titles given to the pieces were unique, and I heard a few giggles from the audience when Littleford called one piece "Frigid Air" which was, in my opinion, a "cool" piece, using a little double entendre.

This, I believe, is a promising group, and I enjoy this kind of laid-back jazz music which somewhat reflects the laid-back attitude of the West Coast, especially here in Vancouver..

© 2011 Ed Farolan