Live on Stage!

On a frigid Thursday evening, although thankfully not the frostbite-inducing temperatures in much of the rest of the country, the Midland High School auditorium was packed to capacity for the Live On Stage performance of the California-based Side Street Strutters. One family sat in the upper gallery of the theater, looking down on the rest of us like aristocrats from the 18th century. Sitting near the front, feet were visible under the curtain moving in a type of frenetic and yet relaxed dance as the band set up. Occasional flourishes from a clarinet occurred, sounding almost unnaturally loud as the auditorium filled.

The curtain raised to the band already on stage, instruments in hand. The carefully crafted and yet casual choreography of the night was established. The Strutters played several numbers in a row for 15 minutes without pause. Working as a unit and yet possessed of the complete individuation within solos, the band had obviously been playing for some time together. After this opening section, Robert Verdi -- who acted as emcee throughout the evening -- welcomed the audience, and confirmed my thoughts by saying that the band was in fact celebrating its 25th anniversary playing together. As in a successful marriage of that length, the band members appeared to know where the others were about to move musically before they actually did so. They provided space for one another to create musically, while being an organic whole.

Beginning with "A Walk in Antibes" (I've translated the French) and moving into "You're Nobody's Sweetheart Now," the Strutters showed the range of their repertoire. At one point Robert Verdi (tenor sax) and Vince Verdi (clarinet) gave a rather unusual type of duet in which the two instruments melded in a way that only two brothers who had played together since childhood could muster.

Moving through "Bourbon Street Parade" and on to "Alexander's Ragtime Band," two things became obvious. First, while consummate musicians, none of the band are particularly good singers, and second, the trumpeter Greg Varlotta, while diminutive in stature, stands head and shoulders above his bandmates as a performer. Of course, the trumpet -- an instrument with almost unbelievable volume considering its size -- is by nature dominant, but Varlotta revealed how it could rudder a performance even when used in a more subtle manner.

A hilarious rendition of "The Charleston" -- in which the band managed to both give a passable rendition of the famous dance while playing their instruments -- contrasted with a more soulful version of "I Can't Give You Anything But Love." As is often the case with jazz bands, it was obvious that these gentlemen would have as much fun playing together in an empty room as they were having playing for an audience of a thousand or so.

In a fascinating interlude, Robert Verdi played the smallest saxophone that I have ever seen -- a very rare sopranino, made in 1930s Paris and given to the saxophonist by basketball great Wilt Chamberlain. As Verdi admitted, this saxophone looks like a toy, but it most certainly does not sound like one. It sounds surprisingly rich and full for such a small instrument.

As the evening continued, the ease and charm of the band's interactions was infectious, and their frenetic version of "The Tiger Rag" at the end of the first half left us wanting more.

In the second half of the show the curtain rose to a more smartly dressed band. They had all changed into rather splendid suits and gave perhaps more sophisticated performances of numbers such as "Take the A Train." Ellington lends itself more to the saxophone than some of the purely Dixieland jazz from the first half. Verdi came more into his own in this half.

We were also rewarded with a most remarkable number. Gregg Varlotta, apparently not content with being a superb trumpeter, is also a rather excellent tap-dancer. At one point the rest of the band left the stage and Varlotta presented a homage to Ellington by playing his trumpet AND tap-dancing at the same time. Precisely how he did this without collapsing with the effort was unclear. Looking around at the audience, a few mouths were deservedly dropping as they watched Varlotta.

The show ended as punctually as all "Live On Stage" performances do at exactly nine. The last number was a rambunctious "Sing Sing Sing," the piece made famous by Benny Goodman. The version that we are all familiar with is played by a full scale big band, but the Strutters managed to create the excitement, pregnant expectancy and power of the piece with only seven members. Percussionist Paul Johnson was remarkable in his solos, mixing control with blistering speed.

The Side Street Strutters sent us into the night whistling and still toe-tapping. Well done to the Live On Stage organization for providing another entertaining evening. The series continues with "American Jukebox" on March 20th, again in the Midland High School Auditorium. For tickets call 789-1249.