Jazz Connection Magazine

GETTING THE JOINT JUMPIN': Midnight Six, above, comprised of music students from California State University, Chico,

play for a packed house at Chico's Left Coast Pizza Company on April 14. Pictured are front row, l-r, Molly Mahoney,

vocal; Mike Torres, flugelhorn; Juan Aguilar, trombone; Adam Walter, saxophones; back row, l-r, Phillip Bailey,

keyboards; Nate Strock, bass, and David Strock, drums (hidden).

It's amazing what six months time will do to improve the sound of a group - that, and the four D's: the Development of raw talent, the Dedication to one's own craft, the Drive to excel, and the Determination to raise the personal and corporate bar to the next level. Such is the case with the jazz group, Midnight Six.

Comprised of six music students from California State University, Chico, who dig the modern straight-ahead sounds of jazz, Midnight Six is fast becoming the "It" group of jazz in this Northern California college town of about 60,000.

Judging by how enthusiastically they were received from patrons during their two-hour gig at Chico's Left Coast Pizza Company on April 14, they may have arrived. Members of Midnight Six are Mike Torres, trumpet/flugelhorn; Adam Walter, alto and tenor saxophones; Juan Aguilar, trombone; Phillip Bailey, keyboards; and the Strock Brothers - Nate on bass and David on drums.

When these young musicians made their debut last November for an on-campus university event (calling themselves at the time the Jazz Combo From Chico State), they sounded good, portraying themselves as a finesse band of sorts, as opposed to being an ensemble that plays "in-your-face" music. The group's strength and appeal lie in its tight ensemble sound and imaginative improvisational skills.

These same characteristics about the group hold true today, whose musical grab bag consists of succulent supplies from modern jazz pioneers such as Lee Morgan, Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock, Horace Silver, Miles Davis, Hank Mobley, and Antonio Carlos Jobim, to name a few. However, time and the diligent discipline of those four D's have turned the Midnight Six into a tighter, smoother, and more cohesive unit. Now they sound better than good, honing a more energetic and aggressive sound.

Torres and Walter are the backbone of the Midnight Six front line. That's taking nothing away from Aguilar, who plays excellent trombone, but unfortunately, he did not always play as part of the triumvirate horn section.

Torres' flugelhorn - graceful, lyrical and ever swinging with its satin-like tone - was a stand out on the Miles Davis classic, Freddie The Freeloader, and the Count Basie hit, Shiny Stockings.

Walter's sax was all over the place on the rocking Hamp's Boogie Woogie, on Kenny Garrett's Wayne's Thing, and on the funky ditty, Chicken.

The Midnight Six rhythm section kept everything tight and "in the pocket" with Bailey "tickling the ivories" well all evening. To show that infectious music has no limits, Bailey himself was dancing and groovin' around his electric piano during a few of the funk pieces that were played.

Bassist Nate Strock's ability for composition and arranging was spotlighted on his Gringo Swingo, a piece where "Latin meets swing."

Vocalist Molly Mahoney, a sophomore vocal performance major at Chico State, joined Midnight Six on the jazz standard, Love Me Or Leave Me, as did trumpeter Cory Dearborn who was featured on the melancholy opus, Autumn Leaves.

Midnight Six opens for the Chico State Jazz X-Press concert on Saturday, April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Harlan Adams Theatre on the campus of CSU, Chico. The concert is titled "Funky Fusion: The Jazz X-Press From The Funky Side." Guest artist performing with the Jazz X-Press is trumpeter Greg Gisbert.

Left Coast Pizza Company is Chico's new roosting spot for jazzers to take in the local jazz scene. Local groups will be featured there every Thursday evening, according to owner Chris Ardrey. It's the perfect locale with spacious flooring and an interior design that reflects a jazz-friendly atmosphere. Etched on the walls are life-size paintings of jazz musicians. Street signs from New Orleans and an old alto saxophone perch the top of said walls like trophies.

Hosting weekly jazz at Left Coast Pizza Company could be Chico's belated response to the Shakey's Pizza Parlor Dixieland jazz craze from three decades ago. Left Coast Pizza Company is located at 800 Bruce Road, Suite 100 (at the corner of Bruce and East 8th Street). And the pizza is good, too!