Bria Skonberg Quintet at A Place for Jazz; Friday, Nov. 1, 2024

Trumpeter and singer Bria Skonberg reached back to the heyday of New Orleans Friday at A Place for Jazz, celebrating Crescent City street parades, saints and sacred songs before the volunteer presenting program’s biggest crowd.

Bria Skonberg and Quintet Take a Bow. From left, pianist Chris Pattishall, Skonberg, bassist Mark Lewandowski, reeds player Julian Lee and drummer Darrell Smith

She also roamed more modern jazz archives, and a 70s pop in one instance, for tunes well suited to her classicist approach. As in past shows here – A Place for Jazz in 2014, for example – her sincere reverence and fiery skill came engagingly packaged in an adroit entertainer’s warmth.

Her new COVID-era album “What It Means,” a truncated version of the Crescent City classic “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans,” supplied most of the tunes and much of the mood Friday, an upbeat survey of early jazz seen through a contemporary prism.

She sang this antique ballad three songs in Friday, after her own “Elbow Bump” and (New Orleanian reed man) Sidney Bechet’s “Petit Fleur,” both launching from march beats by drummer Darrell Smith and bassist Mark Lewandowski into bluesy reveries. Chris Pattishal’s piano carried beat-parade energy to the horns up front; Skonberg blaring wide open or modulating her phrasing with a plunger mute, reed man Julian Lee impressive in hearty tenor blasts or clarinet decoration around Skonberg’s phrasing..

Her first vocal in “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans” blended nostalgic affection with melancholy at a mellow tempo, Lee’s tenor circling her voice as his clarinet had earlier. Then things bounced uptempo again for “Sweet Pea” with a bit of skat-singing before very Louis Armstrong hesitation phrasing from her trumpet as Smith contributed to its vintage flavor, resting one stick on his snare head and tapping it with the other.

Skonberg spoke of her upbringing in Chilliwack, BC, Canada, praising the public school music program that inspired and nurtured her before admitting she was stalling before tackling “a very intricate Louis Armstrong number.” His spry “Cornet Chop Suey” proved no problem at all, another vintage march-beat launch into confident fireworks. After one tricky run, though, she gave an “I made it” shake of her head.

After musing on parenthood – she’s a recent mom – she sandwiched John Lennon’s sentimental “Beautiful Boy” around the Count Basie favorite “A Long Way to Go” in smooth seques without seams or hesitation. 

The rhythm section shone next in another New Orleans-sounding swing number I didn’t recognize. After Skonberg’s fluent plunger mute solo and fine Lee tenor break, Lewandowski signaled a takeover alongside Smith’s swaggering drums and Pattishall’s piano, proving that trio could credibly play their own gig.

Chris Pattishall

Mark Lewandowski

Darrell Smith

A nice loose moment came in their first-set closer “I Remember April” as Skonberg looked around as if asking “Who solos now?” Pattishall gave a good answer, stepping up big before Skonberg cued a brisk duet with Lee to close.

Her second set offered more variety, from Skonberg’s lively hockey-inspired “Hip Check” to open with tenor-trumpet cross-talk and a pulsating vamp. Then came two intense surprises. 

Citing the 2016 post-election women’s march, Skonberg didn’t need much political intro to frame “Villain Vanguard” as a debate, both trumpet and tenor going vehement in spirited argument. Things flowed hotly in opposition rather than dialog, before resolving in a welcome mood of peace. But even this reconciliation erupted in spiky snark before going tranquil.

As conciliatory and tender as the preceding tune was contentious, “Mood Indigo” soothed like delicious, torchy romance. Skonberg’s voice flowed slow and sweet over Pattishall’s piano before Lee’s tenor walked in as if offering a bouquet; best ballad all night. Another mainstream jazz antique “It’s Alright With Me” felt like a perfect fit in its uplifting melody at a fun tempo.

Next, Skonberg ushered everyone offstage except Pattishall whose unaccompanied energetic take on Willie “The Lion” Smith’s “Music On My Mind” flowed like a highlight film from emphatic staccato chords to delicate, unabashedly pretty phrases.

Skonberg dubbed the full band’s return as going from the sublime to the ridiculous, but “Comes Love” was fun without being cheap-funny. It toted its own New Orleans raucous street-parade bounce with a zesty upshift into Latin bustle, peppy breaks by Lewandowski’s bass and Smith’s drums under up-front surges by Skonberg’s plunger-muted trumpet and Lee’s agile soprano sax. 

While Skonberg’s vocal in the show-closing “The Night Time Is the Right Time” sounded somewhat tame compared to commanding versions by Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles, her trumpet more than held its own in another very Louis Armstrong-like solo. Here she engaged the crowd in clapping and singing along so the thing felt unanimous and joyful.

A Place for Jazz President and concert host Bill McCann thanked fans filing out, and vice versa, greeting many by name. He also offered shout-outs during intermission to writers R.J. DeLuke (Times Union), J Hunter (RadioRadioX) and me.

A Place for Jazz now goes quiet until Friday, April 25, 2025 when its spring membership concert brings together saxophonists Scott Hamilton and Harry Allen in a tribute to Al Cohn and Zoot Sims.