Published on Jul 12, 2000
Sit back and let me tell you a story… this is a story about
loyalty and how it can pay off in the long run.
Four decades ago, a jazz group called Independence Jazz Reunion
was building up quite a name for themselves. They even had an album
released in 1959, and the future looked as bright as the glare off
a hi-hat cymbal.
Then, tragedy — okay, so I’m being a bit melodramatic. Band
leader Rick Lundquist was drafted, and the band chose to break up
rather than continue without their leader.
Move the clock forawrd to 1997. Our heroes are now well-settled
into careers — including the worlds of jazz music and aeronautics.
The time comes for the boys — now men — to rejoin forces (plus a
new member or two) and pick up the dream of playing jazz for
fun.
What’s that, kids? I should lay off the Boone’s Farm? Sorry,
this is a true story, as Independence Jazz Reunion’s disc
Rekindling The Dream documents. It’s an interesting journey
for the listener, and one that ends up being well worth the
investment of time.
To call this group pure “jazz” would be to call a Picasso just
oil paint on canvas — meaning, there’s a lot more than what
appears on the surface. On one side, you have the group reveling in
the joy of Dixieland and Benny Goodman-style jazz music. But on the
other, you have the group engaging in Mel Tormé-style scat
phrasing and even some well-thought-out humor. Strictly speaking,
this isn’t “jazz” — but I’m not complaining that it encompasses so
much more. If anything, it makes the group that much more
special.
Admittedly, some of the older, time-proven material ends up
being the music that constitutes the slowest parts of
Rekindling The Dream. I fully understand why songs like
“Alexander’s Ragtime Band” and “St. James Infirmary” are included
in the set, but they honestly don’t do this group that much
justice, as they don’t give the band nearly enough room to
creatively stretch their legs. This, however, is quickly remedied
— not surprisingly, with the same older material like “I Can’t
Give You Anything But Love,” “Royal Garden Blues” and “Everyday I
Have The Blues.”
The inclusion of two originals from bassist Jay Leonhart, “It’s
Impossible To Sing And Play The Bass” and “Me And Lenny” (the
latter about an encounter with the late Leonard Berenstein), make
me wish that Independence Jazz Reunion had tried out some more
original material, since they proved they could pull it off with
amazing results. Maybe this is something to continue hoping for as
the band continues to perform together since this 1997 reunion.
What does a disc like
Rekindling The Dream prove to us, kids? Well, it first and
foremost shows us that the classic form of jazz is very much alive
and well, and is just as timely today as it was in its heyday. But
it also shows us that dreams can come true, even if they have to be
put aside for almost four decades.
Rekindling The Dream sounds so natural, as if they have been
doing this their whole lives (admittedly, some of them have)… and
for that, we all should be thankful.