Due to unforeseen circumstances this show has been cancelled. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
An afternoon of original music by the Composers Sax Quartet and the Olson Pingrey Quartet. The two groups will also combine for a tune or two for a sax quartet with drums, bass, and trombone.
Composers Sax Quartet
As a saxophonist I’m sure that I’m not alone in thinking that there’s something really special about playing in the quartet setting. We experience it to a certain extent playing as one of a group of five saxes in a big band. But playing just with other saxes without a rhythm section is like nothing else. You can hear everyone’s sound so clearly and the nuances are not missed. It’s like a living breathing organism we bring to life as a group.
The mission of the Composers Saxophone Quartet is to make the best of this special instrumentation. We perform original compositions and/or arrangements by our favorite composers as well as by members of the ensemble.
For jazz musicians it’s a different challenge to write something that will support an improvising soloist without a standard rhythm section and the composers who have written for us have approached this in a variety of ways. All the saxophonists in the quartet are also excellent improvisers and most of the pieces we play incorporate improvisation, showcasing the band’s ability to really swing without the need of a rhythm section.
Diane Wernick - soprano/alto saxes
Rick Stone- alto sax
Sean Berry- tenor sax
Kathy Olson- bari sax
Olson Pingrey Quartet
Boston’s most alphabetical jazz group, the Olson Pingrey Quartet (AKA the OPQ) is led by the husband and wife team of Randy Pingrey and Kathy Olson. This chord-less quartet fronted by baritone saxophone and trombone plays a mix of originals and inventive arrangements of standards.
The OPQ’s first album “Low Contrast” was reviewed in Cadence Magazine where Jerome Wilson called it “a fresh and fun slant on some classic materials” and that the tunes “have a clipped interplay and strutting beauty that brings to mind Mulligan dueling with Bob Brookmeyer, a nice blend of low tones over a high-stepping rhythm section.”
Kathy Olson- bari sax
Randy Pingrey- trombone
Aaron Darrell- bass
Austin McMahon- drums