Preview: The Evidence at Jazz on Jay, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025

“Without the blues, you have no jazz,” said Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine).

With the Evidence on Thursday at Jazz on Jay, we’ll hear both.

The Evidence is Robert Aronstein, keys and vocals; Mike Derrico, guitar and vocals, and Andy Hearn, drums and vocals. They formed six years ago after playing mostly in blues bands.

The Evidence – Shown here as a duo: Robert Aronstein, left; and Mike Derrico. Photo supplied

Both Aronstein and Hearn played in the Charlie Smith Blues Band; Aronstein also played in the Big Block Blues Band and the Alan Payette Band. Derrico has played several styles, with Americana troubadour Rees Shad, jazz pianist Cole Broderick, the Ushers (Dennis McCafferty’s rock band), Good For The Soul (blues, R&B) and the Out Of Control Rhythm and Blues Band. And Hearn’s resume is stacked with guitarists: bluesmen Tas Cru and Matt Mirabile, plus jazz man Joe Finn.

All have recorded albums, Aronstein on his own “Play This” (now sold out); with the Charlie Smith Blues Band on “Hardly Ever Blue” and “Stepping Down Blues Lane,” which also features Hearn. Derrico has recorded with Cole Broderick, Rees Shad, and the Ushers.

Aronstein cites Dave Brubeck, Chuck Berry, the Beatles and Jerry Lee Lewis as inspirations and credits his pianist mother, high school teacher Jay Singer and the late great area jazz piano goddess Lee Shaw as teachers.

Like many area performing musicians, Aronstein also teaches, at Oneida Middle School. He studied music and recording technology, and voice, at the former College of St. Rose; and also studied at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He has also worked in instrument repair and providing technical support for recordings and live musical events. And he plays flute and flugelhorn, in addition to piano.

When Aronstein engineered the sound for A Place for Jazz in its former home at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady, he led his middle school jazz combo, playing at intermission. The great Canadian trumpeter-singer Bria Skonberg heard them and was so impressed she invited them onto the main stage to play several songs with her.

Thursday, the Evidence play original Derrico instrumentals, also instrumental interpretations of pop and rock standards, jump blues and swing tunes with vocals, American Songbook classics and blues standards. These include “Katz Bossa” (Derrico), “Take Five” (Brubeck) and classics “Sunny,” “Summertime,” “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie,” “House Of The Rising Sun” (creatively rearranged), “The Nearness Of You,” the Cars’ “Let The Good Times Roll” (with groove and improvisations), and “This Masquerade” (the George Benson hit written by Leon Russell).

“I find tunes that appeal to me vocally or with some instrumental hook I like and then find a groove that may or may not be what people are used to hearing,” says Aronstein. 

“I’m really a blues player, so my jazz and American Songbook standards tend to show that influence pretty heavily.”

Jazz on Jay free concerts are noon to 1:30 p.m. at Jay Square, the new park space opposite Schenectady City Hall. The rain site is Robb Alley at Proctors, 432 State St. Seating is provided indoors at Robb Alley, but patrons are invited to bring their own seating and refreshments to Jay Square.

Jazz on Jay is presented by the ElectriCity Arts and Entertainment District and sponsored by the New York State Council on the Arts, a Schenectady County Legislature Arts & Culture Grant, Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation, The Schenectady Foundation, Price Chopper/Market 32, MVP Health Care, Schenectady County, Schenectady City Hall, and Proctors Collaborative. This blog is a series media sponsor.

Looking down the calendar, Aronstein plays solo at The Wishing Well Thursdays through Saturdays.

The Evidence plays Aug, 19 noon to 1 p.m. at Jim DiNapoli Park in Albany, and Sept.  20 3 p.m. at Schenectady’s PorchFest in the GE Realty plot.