Jazz is as American as it gets

Jazz is an art form America can claim as its own. It seems appropriate then to schedule a jazz concert for July — especially one that features the Great American Songbook.

The Excellence in the Community series will feature the Craig Larson Trio in concert next Saturday doing music of George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers and Irving Berlin, according to Larson. Vocalist Kelly Eisenhour will join the trio, as will trumpeter Bob Taylor.

Larson said that there will also be an "Americana" segment. "It's the middle of July, and I thought it would be nice to do a patriotic thing, so we're going to do a medley." And as a special surprise, he said that they will also feature some guest fiddlers for that segment.The concert, he said, should be a fun one. "To me, it's all about connecting with the audience. It needs to be some kind of something that we all hold in common, you know. Not everybody is a rabid jazz fan, so we try to make it accessible and fun for the average listener."

Larson has been playing in the trio for more than 40 years. "I'm 57 now. I started playing with my dad's band when I was 14, and in various formats, I've worked the trio since about 1965."

In its current formation, the band is comprised of Larson on the piano, Matt Larson on bass and Christian Parry on drums. "My son Matt is the bassist, so you can understand why that's a natural collaboration — father and son.

"But on a musical point of analysis, he and I really know each other's playing well. He's just one of the primo players in town, and we've really enjoyed working together. We can, almost before it happens, know where the other one's going to go with something."

Parry, he said, is especially good at classic jazz. "He's really a high-energy guy. The thing I love about him is, he has great passion for the music. He loves it, and it just reflects in his playing, because when he's playing, there's a certain energy and happiness to it that's really there."

Eisenhour has performed with the band quite a bit. "She's a wonderful vocalist," Larson said, adding that she has done a couple of tours with the Boston Pops. "She draws heavily from the 'Great American Songbook' — mostly does standards rather than the harder core, edgier jazz repertoire."

Taylor, an alumnus of Brigham Young University's Synthesis jazz ensemble and an original member of the local jazz group Bridj, has been involved in improvisation education and authored several books on the subject. "Bob is an extremely creative (trumpet) player with a very original approach," said Larson. "Nothing comes out the same way twice. He is certainly deserving of much wider recognition, so we thought he was natural to include on the program."

If you go

What: Craig Larson Trio

Where: Vieve Gore Hall, Westminster College

When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

How much: $10 at all Hires Big H Restaurants

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E-mail: rcline@desnews.com