“Something Else” is the name of the all-star band performing at the Vermont Jazz Center on October 5th at 7:30 PM located at 72 Cotton Mill Hill, #222, Brattleboro, VT.

The name, “Somethin’ Else,” refers to the 1958, desert-island-worthy recording by saxophonist Cannonball Adderley that enticingly featured trumpeter Miles Davis. The band “Something Else” is a 7-piece, 3-horn band organized by alto saxophonist Vincent Herring that draws on the rich repertoire of “soul jazz,” a music that came to fruition in the early 1960s.

Soul jazz successfully combined the sophistication of jazz improvisation with the danceable rhythms and messages of the Black popular music of the time. Artists performing that style in its formative years included Cannonball Adderley as well as Horace Silver, Donald Byrd, and Eddie Harris. One could say that soul jazz is an extension of hard bop, a musical style that melded gospel and blues-based grooves with bebop’s sophisticated language. Soul jazz embraced the potential of the music’s popular appeal and feel-good vibe. Its practitioners unapologetically promoted its character as fun, party music while simultaneously honoring its ability to convey progressive messages. The grooving rhythms of soul jazz later became the fodder for musicians like Herbie Hancock and George Benson and even Roy Hargrove who infused it with electronic keyboards, guitars and sometimes vocals or spoken word. The music changed with the times and crossed over to combine with popular styles, influencing bands like Sly and the Family Stone and Earth Wind and Fire. Much can be said regarding the commercialization of jazz, but in the hands of musicians like Hancock and Benson, soul jazz maintained an authoritative dignity because of its direct connection to the jazz lineage. To this day, soul jazz forms a respectable bridge linking the grooving public with died-in-the-wool, hardcore jazz fans.

This concert is sponsored thanks to the generous contributions of an anonymous donor-couple who have been demonstrating their proactive support for the Jazz Center for years. VJC thanks sponsors for subsidizing our performances and making ticket prices affordable for all.

Tickets for Something Else at the Vermont Jazz Center are $25+ for general admission and are available online at www.vtjazz.org or by email at sarah@vtjazz.org. Tickets can also be reserved by calling the Vermont Jazz Center ticket line, 802-254-9088, ext. 1. Handicapped access is
available by calling the VJC at 802-254-9088.