A contrast in styles of performance was in full evidence at UCLA’s Royce Hall last week as the young fiery saxophonist David Snchez and his quintet performed a “too short” (in Snchez’s words) wild, improvisational 40-minute jazz set, before legendary trumpet player Arturo Sandoval took the stage with his band on April 22. The brassy, loud, rehearsed, Vegas-style type of performance from Sandoval, and a much too long version of scatting by the Cuban performer, was a disappointment compared with the much more raw Snchez performance.
Sandoval, a protg of the famed jazz master Dizzy Gillespie, and who has had 12 Grammy nominations and awarded three, was the titled main draw of the evening. However, a longer stay by Snchez and his band would have been welcome.
Snchez, 32, said nothing as he and his band mates quietly walked on stage and immediately launched into a stormy set with his tenor sax, with serious alto sax player Miguel Zenn joining in what seemed like a duo that would break off into frantically different directions, but came smoothly back into a, if not carefully orchestrated piece, harmonized one nevertheless.
Snchez, who was born in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, is young and infectious in what seems his absolute enjoyment of the music he plays. With a constant smile on his face, he eventually even got Zenon to smile. The bald-headed Zenon stared straight ahead as he played, eventually swerving his body in an S-shape motion as he got more into the music.
Percussionist Antonio Snchez really got the audience roaring with a solo later in the set. The group, which also includes bassist Hans Glawischnig, pianist Edsel Gomez and drummer Pernell Saturnino, looked constantly to Snchez to see where he would take them next.
The sextet played the 40 minutes without a break, and Snchez ended the set thanking the audience from the bottom of his heart for being there and sorry that the evening was too short.
Snchez at the age of 22 was invited by Gillespie to join his Grammy Award-winning United Nation Orchestra in 1991. He also toured the United States and Europe with the trumpet master and Miriam Makeba. His latest recording, “Obsesion,” which he produced with Branford Marsalis, received a Grammy nomination.
After the intermission, when the audience was eagerly seated before there was the dimming of lights, it took technicians about 20 minutes to finally get the piano and attached synthesized piano ready. The crowd started clapping, calling for the performance to begin.
Sandoval, of course, is considered a master, not only of the trumpet, but also the flugelhorn, and is an accomplished pianist and is also considered a renowned classical artist. His talents lie in many directions, he even sang “When I Fall In Love,” prefacing with the comment that “God has not graced me with the greatest voice.”
In contrast to Snchez, Sandoval talked to the audience, joked and introduced the pieces the band performed. His personality and demeanor resembled that of comedian Buddy Hackett, complete with glasses and belly. He played a lovely new piano composition, the best piece of the evening. But when he got to his scatting, which was amusing at times, but old when it went too long, audience members quietly began sneaking out. Perhaps because it was getting past 10 p.m. on a Sunday night, or maybe it just wasn’t their cup of tea.
As opposed to Snchez, Sandoval stayed on what seemed like a rehearsed track, with no room for improvisation–except his scatting of course. The other performers in his band took solos, with percussionist Samuel Torres taking a nice turn on the congas.
The talent is there, the showmanship and the music, but sometimes just the plain raw music is enough.