Q'd Up

Utah Jazz! There is such an animal despite claims to the contrary. Five faculty members at Brigham Young University in Provo started under the moniker FJQ and are now Q'd Up. They are Ray Smith on various woodwinds, Jay Lawrence on vibes/percussion, Steve Lindeman on keyboards, Lars Yorgason on bass, and Ron Brough on steel drums/drums. They play modern contemporary to neo-bop styled jazz with some Latin tinges. Five of the ten selections here are standards. There is the clean, tidy bop, vibe-led "Avalon" with modal piano accents sliding in and out, with Smith's clarinet solo reminiscent of Eddie Daniels. Neal Hefti's tune from the repertoire of Count Basie "Flight of the Foo Birds" is an Afro-Cuban to swing rendition, while "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" is a vibe-led ballad, and "Shiny Stockings" holds a very slow tempo with Smith's lustrous flute cementing this classic melody. The tenor sax and vibe-informed "I'm Beginning to See the Light" has a slightly changed-up arrangement and seemingly spontaneous 4/4 to 3/4 time shifts on the sub melody. In a more contemporary vein, Andy Narell's "Oz" has chiming Native American elements in the intro, then moves to a happy 6/8 pan steel melody with a WX7 solo. Chick Corea's "Sicily" seems to be a focal point for this group, with the Corea/Gary Burton sound extant in this upbeat samba led by flute and vibes. At their most trite on the Ray Obiedo pseudo Brazilio-pop "La Samba," the music lacks originality. Two originals are contributed by bandmembers: "Gentle Train" from Yorgason is a quirky ballad to waltz, flighty in its indecisiveness, though Lawrence's vibe solo is sure, and Lindeman's "Scarlett" is simply a nice waltz. It seems this group has not yet transcended their influences, but they play pleasant enough jazz from different perspectives. This is a good first step, one to try and cue up. ~ Michael G. Nastos, Rovi