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URBAN
JAZZ COALITION I've said it before, I'll say it again and now that I've seen the band live I can confirm it, this group needs to be playing all of the festivals including Catalina in 2003. They are so good and so solid and really fun to watch. Locally they perform a mix of originals and thrill the audience with favorites like "Birdland" and new songs from Boney James and Euge Groove. As a live ensemble the group holds true to the core sound of the format but eases in and out of improv with a nod to jazz fusion which offers a level of excitement and intellect that surpasses the usual Smooth Jazz show boat fare. The songs were segued tightly with little to no down time. Their first set was 2 hours. The band's talented saxophonist, Ben Sherburne, struck me as a budding Brian Culbertson. Ben plays two saxophones at once and with a supplemental keyboard helps out the band's keyboardist Brandon Howard. Ben and Brandon were actually college mates at Capital University when UJC recruited Brandon, who in turn hooked Ben up. The band is diverse featuring a great mix of youth and experience. Each band member is exceptional, trumpeter Lee Savory is a graceful player who switches seamlessly between flugelhorn and trumpet with a tone to die for. The UJC front line consists of guitarist Joe Gothard, my favorite kind of guitarist who nonchalantly lays down engaging solos and rhythm support, Lee, Ben and Brandon. UJC's rhythm section is drummer Jim Bridges (has a Harvey Mason thing going on), bassist/band leader Phil Raney who is inconspicuously funky, and percussionist Hector Maldonado who livens things up with percussive textures, timbales and an assortment of rhythmic goodies. Sandy
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