Jazz Great Arturo Sandoval Performs in Stellar Show

It is not every day that a world renowned jazz artist with 4 Grammys, 6 Billboard Awards, and one Emmy comes to a small town. But last Friday, the little city of Edmonds, Washington was graced with the presence of Arturo Sandoval, who played at the Edmonds Center for the Performing Arts.

Sandoval, a bespectacled 62-year old man with graying hair, bounded onto the stage in a camel-colored sport coat, looking a bit professorial at first. Then he picked up his trumpet and began to play, and there was no mistaking him for anything other than the musical genius he truly is. Soon he was eliciting notes from his horn not thought humanly possible...Was that a bird? An elephant? Or the low, deep tones of a stand-up bass? Or...the sound of a woman crying?

He and his excellent band--a drummer, bassist, and pianist--started innocently enough with a couple of jazz standards by Clifford Brown. But before we knew it, the music would evolve into a madly swinging, bopping, jumping rhythm, leaving us wondering were it would all end up. In between his solos, Sandoval would snap his fingers, clap his hands, or stomp his feet, and his smiling band would gamely--and more than ably--follow him wherever he lead, never once losing track of the beat.

Sandoval seemed to be equally adept at whatever instrument he picked up, whether it be the horn; the piano; the drums; or even vocals. He told the audience that in his home country of Cuba, "boys weren't supposed to play the piano--piano was for girls." Then he jokingly shoved his piano player aside and played a beautiful piano solo. And his percussion playing on a bolero and other songs was as hot as they come. Even his vocals on "Smile" were, if not technically as accomplished, warm and melodic. He was, however, fantastic in the vocal department when it came to scatting; perhaps he was more comfortable here, where it almost seemed he was playing his voice like an instrument.

But of course Sandoval is best known for his trumpet and flugel horn. And he played his trumpet wonderfully on "Every Day I Think of You," a composition he said he wrote recently in honor of his late mentor and legendary jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie. The melody was hauntingly beautiful, expressive, and full of longing.

Sandoval appeared very relaxed and comfortable onstage, joking frequently with his band and the audience. At one point after playing a song from his newest album, "A Time For Love," he asked if anyone had heard it. Only a couple of people raised their hands. "Only one?" he said incredulously as he pulled a man up on the stage. "You tell these guys how good it is!" he said to him, and the laughing audience.

Sandoval said he was glad to play "for people who appreciate our music." He also said "the most beautiful art form created in the U.S. is jazz," to everyone's loud applause.

The band closed with a rousing, percussion-filled rendition of "Night in Tunisia," which received a standing ovation.

Arturo Sandoval is truly a musical genius. Aspiring musicians may find him awe-inspiring--or demoralizing, depending on their points of view; inspirational for his sheer virtuosity, yet despairing at ever becoming half as musically gifted. It was truly a pleasure to hear this jazz great in our very own backyard.