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Page 3 • Thursday, June 3, 1999
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I Big Apple Trio likes its jazz New York style
BY SCOTT HARRIS thins that W6 don t havo to do. \A/p all takp a prpat laanH PontrollpH G\rp>r\r acnopt pf ropprHinrr alKur
BY SCOTT HARRIS
The Battalion
B ringing New York^style jazz to College Station
would not be an easy task for just anybody, but
it is exactly what the members of Big Apple TVio
are attempting. Big Apple THo is a three-piece band
that incorporates piano, drums and bass to create
their unique flavor of jazz.
Wayne Smith, drummer for Big Apple Trio, com
pared the band’s sound to a New York style that
would have come out in the ’50s or ’60s.
“We are not a New Orleans blues band,” Smith
said. New York is the home of what we do. We are a
traditional small jazz trio with some ’90s twists.
“We combine Latin and contemporary jazz to
gether. We have a full spectrum, we go from high en
ergy to — 1 don’t want to say easy listening, but a soft
jazz. From one extreme to another.”
Smith said the best thing about playing in the band
is that it is not their primary source of income but an
outlet for their passion.
“We don’t have to treat it like a job,” Smith said.
“We all have a passion for the music and it is some
thing that we don’t have to do. We all take a great
pleasure in it.”
Two of the band members, Smith and pianist Pe
ter Lieuwen, are professors at Texas A&M. Smith is a
professor of nautical archeology and Lieuwen is the
coordinator of A&M’s music program. Brian Lippman,
the bass player for the band, is the owner of Lippman
Music.
The band has been playing together for several
years and has built a following in the Bryan-College
Station area. Smith said the band came together as
the result of playing with other people.
“We were all playing around town at the same
time, and we had played together in conjunction with
other people,” Smith said. “We liked the way each
other played and we got together and started doing
shows at the Hilton.
“We decided to expand out and get more serious
about the music, and we started playing at Sweet Eu
gene’s, which is a good venue because the audience
is there to actually listen to the music. Some places
the music is just in the background. We have built up
a good audience there.”
The band has released one album, To The Core. The
band controlled every aspect of recording the album
which, Smith said, kept the direction of the album in
the band’s hands.
“Making the album was an important thing for us
to do,” he said. “We all put a lot into it. We wanted a
certain sound. We all listened to other bands and
knew what we did and didn’t like, and we all liked
stuff that was not typical. We wanted to hear the
sonority of the piano coming out. We wanted to hear
the sizzle in the cymbals.” >
The album was recorded in the auditoriums of the
George Bush Presidential Library Complex.
They used one auditorium to play in and another
one to set up a sound studio. Smith said although
there was no audience the band basically recorded a
live concert.
“Actually, we spent most of the time setting up the
equipment, but we essentially recorded a live show,”
Smith said. “We didn’t rehearse much. We played
everything live and, if we liked it, we kept it.
“Jazz is a conversation, a dialogue. It is best when
it is spontaneous. We wanted to keep all of the spon
taneity. The music is best done fresh, if there is no
agenda, then there are no problems.”
Bigf Apple Trio
ts# A *i.
...to the core
Big Apple Trio
To The Core
CD Courtesy
of Tarpon Music
Big Apple Trio’s debut re
lease, To The Core, is an es
cape into a realm that is only
offered by jazz music.
This three-piece band ex
plores the roller coaster of
emotions and feelings of the
human persona in a way that
only an instrumental band
can.
The trio pays tribute to all
of the jazz greats on their CD.
They cover ~k
Corea, Miles - .
Coltrane and Dizzy oiu^spie
but with their own style and
flair.
They combine Latin, swing
and contemporary jazz to cre
ate their own sound.
The band delivers the mu
sic on a palette that can be en
joyed by even a novice jazz
listener.
The music is soothing and
at the same time invigorating,
bringing together two ends of
the emotional spectrum.
Big Apple Tfio has struck
gold with their versions of
“Impressions,” “Windows”
and “Stella By Starlight.”
This album is an altogether
enjoyable experience for the
listener. (Grade: B-)
— Scott Harris
PHOTO COURTESY OF BIG APPLE TRIO
August Graduates
Official Texas A&M
Graduation Announcements
On Sale
May 31 - June 18, 1999
For information and to place your order
access the Web at:
http://graduation.tamu.edu
All orders must be placed over the web
All orders and payments must be received by June 18
MSC Box Office Mon-Fri 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 845-1234
4.0 & Go is located on the comer of SW Pkwy and Tx Ave, behind KFC next to Lack's
AN AGGIE TRADITION FOR FIFTEEN YEARS
SUMMER SESSION I
DANCE
LESSONS
CLASS
TIME
C&WI
JITTERBUG I
5:30 - 7
7:30 - 9
CLASS DATES AND LOCATIONS:
JUNE 13 - BRAZOS CENTER, JUNE 20 - MSC 226, JUNE 27 - MSC 226, JULY 11 - MSC 225
SIGN-UPS WILL BE IN THE MSC HALLWAY 8 A.M.-3 P.M. JUNE 7,8,9
COST: $30. PER COUPLE
THERE WILL BE NO NON-STUDENT FEE FOR THESE LESSONS!
www.tamu.edu/aggie_wranglers