The Austin Phillips Trio
The Hopgood/Lord Summer Music Series
Bushnell Park
Hartford
Aug. 14, 2024
I may say something controversial here, but it was refreshing to see jazz music played by a relatively young ensemble at Bushnell Park Wednesday evening. Jazz has taken on the quality of being something studied and replicated, as the last few performances I’ve reviewed have been older musicians playing sets that feature classic songs. While the music is certainly great, it makes the genre feel rooted in the past as an object of admiration for what it used to be.
The performers were the Austin Phillips Trio, named after the lead guitarist who was born in Ohio but studied at Connecticut’s own Jackie McClean Institute at the Hartt School of Music. Phillips was joined by Ryan Sands on drums, Conway Campbell Jr. on bass and special guest Lex Lewis on saxophone.
This performance was lively and energetic, featuring original compositions by the band members (and a few classics for good measure). It helped me to remember that jazz used to be the dangerous new music of young people, of flappers and speakeasies that challenged the social status quo with improvisation and flair.
For example, the group performed a song called “Modo,” written by Phillips for a friend. Despite the downtempo feel of the song, it provided plenty of room for Lewis to flex his muscles with his saxophone. Lewis didn’t just blast away on the horn, but instead delicately weaved in and out of Campbell’s baseline with each run. Still, Lewis commanded the stage and picked his moments, letting the saxophone fly when the other members of the band receded a bit to let him take center stage.
After a short intermission, the trio came back out without Lewis and played even more mellow music to ease the crowd into the early nightfall.
The band performed a piece called “Never Say Die,” written by drummer Ryan Sands. I have to confess that I didn’t know drummers wrote music for other instruments. And while now I can say, “Duh, of course they do,” it was a surprise to hear how Sands highlighted the interplay between Phillips on guitar and Campbell on bass. Sands brought an extremely light touch to the percussion, and it was a cool experience to hear every part of the band presented from such different musical perspectives.
I felt my appreciation for jazz rejuvenated by the evening’s music. There is never a shortage of jazz performances occurring in the city of Hartford, and Professor Haneef Nelson wasn’t kidding when he said earlier in the year that Hartford is a jazz city. But hearing the music of yesterday by tomorrow’s stars brought back the edge that I hadn’t even realized was dulling.
NEXT
The The Hopgood/Lord Summer Music Series presents the Haneef N. Nelson Quintet on Aug. 21.
It’s been a long week, so Jamil is taking a few days off. See you next week!
