The COL Jazz Band is an incredible group of young players who represent the future of the genre. The new release "Hazelwood" has fusion, straight ahead, Latin, even a funky spoken word track. You name it, it's all there. Pay very close attention to this group of young musicians. As if listening to it weren't amazing by itself, you then realize that they wrote most everything themselves produced it and mixed it. These young men conjure up the spirit of Pittsburgh Jazz greats in the way they sound. Close your eyes and you think you are listening to the Jazz Messengers. Without any doubt they are the future of Pittsburgh Jazz.
The new recording is a collection of 14 tunes put together by a collective of 11 very talented young people. Let's review shall we? COL Jazz is a God inspired relevant musical mix of the past, present, and future. The band integrates contemporary and standard songs with the history-rich tradition of jazz. Along with his sons Tim Jr. and Isaiah, Executive Director Tim Smith Sr. started COL Jazz band. Since 2000 COL Jazz has provided young gifted instrumentalists with the opportunity to play at a professional level around the city, state and country. As part of a larger program known as the KRUNK Movement, students in COL Jazz seek to use their talents to bring knowledge about music, health and business to youth everywhere. The band was given a jump-start with the help of friends Cornelius Martin and Doug Ransaw who supported the group with their time, talent, and equipment. Since then the band has expanded to include many musically talented students from middle school through college.
2012 has been a great year for the group. After a close 2nd place finish in 2011, the Center of Life Jazz band returned to Monterey California’s Next Generation Jazz Festival determined to make a statement. Over the last year, the band worked hard on improving their compositions, performance technique and professionalism. The group was named the winner of the Next Generation Jazz Festival’s Open Combo Division. This September they will perform at this year’s Monterey Jazz Festival!
A delightful recording, standouts cuts on the new recording include “Amalfi Coast”, “Anton's Blues”, “Beautiful Ambitions” and “Battle Cry”.
To get additional information on Center of Life go to:
The CD is available at: http://www.amazon.com/Hazelwood/dp/B007L4IHE4
