Jazz combo Yellowjackets dazzles at Thornton performance


Nolan Melia/Daily Trojan

The Carson Television Center was set ablaze with scalding swing and fiery funk Monday night as the Thornton Jazz Orchestra and Grammy Award-winning jazz fusion group Yellowjackets took the stage in a special night of performances. The concert was aimed at welcoming drummer Will Kennedy to the Thornton School of Music faculty.

The Michael Stever Combo, comprising Thornton jazz student, kicked off the night with a variety of original compositions, as well as an arrangement of David Bowie’s “I’m Afraid of Americans” by combo leader and Thornton alumnus Michael Stever.

Immediately following Stever’s opener, the critically acclaimed Yellowjackets took the stage — Thornton Jazz Studies chair Bob Mintzer (saxophone), professor Russell Ferrante (piano and keyboards), bassist Dane Alderson and Will Kennedy on drums.

Kennedy was selected this school year to fill the vacancy of the late Ndugu Chancler on Thornton’s drum faculty. Yellowjackets’ blazing five-song set featured a wide array of jazz-inspired styles and showcased Kennedy’s expert conversational groove to an enthralled and at-capacity Carson Center.

Yellowjackets joined the Thornton Jazz Orchestra onstage to end the night, performing big-band renditions of Yellowjackets originals in an exceptional collaborative display of musicianship.

Among these renditions were “Downtown,” an uptempo swing arrangement filled with intricate staccato horn melodies and a wailing solo by trumpet student Aaron Janik; and “Civil War,” a steady funk arrangement with soulful, wildly fluctuating sax lines featuring a notable solo from tenor saxophone student Andrew Torgelson. Fittingly, the evening reached a climax with a thundering drum solo by Kennedy during “Run For Your Life,” bringing the entire audience — including Thornton Dean Robert Cutietta and Interim President Wanda  Austin — to its feet with roaring applause.

The final set was an impressive display of the musical chops, dynamic sensitivity and improvisational prowess of TJO’s three horn sections, accompanied by the world-class expertise of its faculty performers. Before concluding, Mintzer made sure to thank TJO’s student rhythm section for conceding their seats to Yellowjackets for the evening.

Monday night’s jazz performances offered listeners a unique glimpse into the immense talent bursting within the walls of USC Thornton’s classrooms.