The Edgar Crockett Trio's Tribute to “Heroes of the Horn,” March 19

Sunday, March 19, 5 p.m.

Rivermont Collegiate, 1821 Sunset Drive, Bettendorf IA

For its Rivermont Collegiate event on March 19, Polyrhythms' Third Sunday Jazz Series is pleased to present something a little different for its tribute concert Heroes of the Horn, treating audiences to the “drummer-less trio” ensemble The Edgar Crockett Trio featuring Crockett on trumpet and flugelhorn, Whitney Ashe on piano, and Matt Hughes on bass,

Beyond his credits as educator and composer, local musician and Black Hawk College professor Crockett has performed as a commercial trumpet player with numerous iconic musicians and bands, among them Ray Charles, Roberta Flack, James Ingram, Maureen McGovern, the Temptations, and the Four Tops. His list of famed collaborators as a jazz trumpeter and director, meanwhile, includes Jimmy Heath, Willie Pickens, David Sanchez, Vincent Herring, Tom Harrell, J.J. Johnson, Louie Bellson, and many other jazz greats. Crockett has also played with Ashe and Hughes on numerous occasions. As Crockett has raved, both are wonderful musicians with many years of experience playing jazz in some of the finest rooms with some of the finest musicians in the world, and both are fantastic soloist and sidemen who always listen and inspire others to bring their "A” game.

The concept of having a trio without drums is inspired by a number of great trios of this nature, most notably the trios led by Nat Cole, Chet Baker, and Tom Harrell. A solo horn with piano and bass alone has a more transparent sound which allows for a softer, more intimate approach to playing ballads, blues, bossa nova, as well as standards to relax your soul. Polyrhythms' program Heroes of the Horn will consequently feature the music of six of the world's greatest jazz trumpeters throughout history: Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Clifford Brown, Freddie Hubbard, and Tom Harrell. All of these trumpeters are also great composers, and to celebrate their music, the trio will play two compositions of these players, moving through the history of the "Trumpet Tree."
Included in the March 19 repertoire: Louis Armstrong’s "When It's Sleepy Time Down South" (Armstrong's signature tune); "Dizzy" Gillespie's music featuring his Latin inspired "Con Alma" as a jazz testing ground; "Sardis," a tune by Miles Davis (named after Davis' producer at the time, Ben Sidran); an exploration into Clifford Brown’s more obscure works with a beautiful ballad named after his wife, "LaRue"; Freddie Hubbard’s lively jazz waltz "Up Jumped Spring," a jazz standard; and music by living legend Tom Harrell, with whom both Crockett and Hughes have performed, in the man's most notable composition "Sail Away."

The Edgar Crockett Trio's Tribute to “Heroes of the Horn" will be performed in Rivermont College's Becherer Hall on February 19, with the musicians' 5 p.m. Bettendorf engagement preceded by an all-ages 2 p.m. demystifying jazz workshop ($5 for adults, free for kids) presented as part of the Polyrhythms Third Sunday Jazz Matinée & Workshop Series. Admission to the concert is $15-20, and more information and reservations are available by calling (309)373-0790 and visiting Polyrhythms.org.