Horn player Lindeman weaves magic, concluding concert series
Music review
By Cary Ginell soundthink@aol.com

In the seventh and final installment of the Friday evening concerts sponsored by the city of Westlake Village, Jens Lindemann and his Ensemble offered an evening of jazz, which proved to be a delightful way to end the summer series.

Lindemann is an affable, extremely talented horn player who plainly loves what he does. He made two salient points during his Sept. 7 performance: first, that he had not rehearsed with the other three members of the group, and second, that he was having as much fun as anyone there (he made this latter point after nearly every song).

A lanky, perpetually youthful musician, Lindemann is Juilliard-trained, and versatile enough to have soloed with classical orchestras around the world. He was even named official trumpeter for the NHL Stanley Cup finals. He also played lead trumpet with the celebrated Canadian Brass ensemble, certainly a position that should satisfy anyone's questions as to his qualifications.

The concert was advertised as "Fascinating Rhythms Under the Stars," promising "an evening of music by George Gershwin, Cole Porter and more." Although Lindemann and his cohorts did play three numbers by Gershwin, the program not only did not include the namesake "Fascinating Rhythm," there also were no Cole Porter songs. This, however, did not detract from the marvelously entertaining evening led by Lindemann.

Playing mostly cornet, Lindemann led the group in a variety of jazz standards, including the three Gershwin numbers: "Summertime" from "Porgy and Bess," "Oh, Lady be Good" (played by the trio alone) and a shimmering "Someone to Watch Over Me," arguably Gershwin's most lush and glorious ballad, on which he switched to the more mellow flugelhorn.

Lindemann played one song on trumpet, a glistening version of Dizzy Gillespie's bebop classic, "A Night in Tunisia," in which he employed a straight mute to replicate Gillespie's crisp, silvery tone, while the trio added the famous Afro-Cuban rhythms that helped revolutionize jazz in the late 1940s.

There were plenty of opportunities for the other members of the group to showcase their exemplary chops as well. Joel Hamilton demonstrated his familiarity with the styles of bass greats Charles Mingus and Oscar Pettiford with some rapid-fire finger picking on his stand-up bass. Joe LaBarbara contributed inventive and tasteful licks on the drums for every song and showed a sense of humor that was contagious with the other members of the group. He proved that a drummer in a small group setting cannot be merely a timekeeper. Pianist Brad Ellis contributed a variety of styles, but was especially moving on the gospel classic "Amazing Grace" and Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia on My Mind."

Lindemann is so utterly comfortable with his instrument that he makes it an extension of himself, even when it is reduced to the mouthpiece alone, which he played on the final chorus of the technically challenging "Carnival of Venice Variations."

For this number, Lindemann stuck to the classical arrangement made famous by Wynton Marsalis, double and tripletonguing to the delight of the audience, while Ellis, LaBarbara and Hamilton provided a scintillating, swinging rhythm. This unusual counterpoint somehow worked, and the performance got the biggest ovation of the evening.

The trio wore black while Lindemann highlighted his leadership role with a stylish white sport jacket. The outdoor setting, the courtyard of the Westlake Village City Hall, is a delightful venue for this kind of performance, with an audience of about a hundred enjoying the music.

It is all too rare to find jazz of any sort in the Conejo Valley, but to see a musician of Jens Lindemann's caliber is a real treat.

In an informal conversation after the show, Lindemann showed his enthusiasm about jazz and the trumpet, citing Bix Beiderbecke as one musician he admires and continues to learn from.

On an instrument as rich with tradition as any in jazz, Jens Lindemann showed that he is more than qualified to carry the torch lit by Beiderbecke, Armstrong and Gillespie, keeping the flame alive for another generation of jazz fans.