Debbie Denke Trio September 2023

The Debbie Denke Trio 9/10/23

What a delightful afternoon of jazz we were treated to in September! The Debbie Denke Trio lived up to what we could expect from such a talented family. Not only are pianist, Debbie and husband bassist, Kim Collins devoted jazz educators, but also very fine jazz players as well. And for the first time they were joined by super drummer, Elias Vazquez. Since there were only three players, it left plenty of room for some tasty solos on every tune.

The trio opened with the a bright, Just In Time then jumped right into Charlie Parker’s My Little Swede Shoes. It’s obvious that Debbie and Kim have played together through the years, but drummer, Elias kept right with them on every tune and with a perfect rendition of Poinciana made famous by the Ahmad Jamal Trio in 1958. One of Debbie’s current favorite pianists is Emmet Cohen and amazingly she transcribed his six different versions of Where is Love and played her breathtaking arrangement. It was truly a show stopper!

It became a family affair when Debbie called daughter, Melody to the stage to join the band for Agua De Beber on vocal and flute. She was also featured with amazing vocalese versions of Ladybird and Jordu. Besides some wonderful bass solos, Kim did a lot of super scatting all afternoon. The whole family got together with On Broadway arranged as a waltz. Debbie took her vocal turn with Deed I Do and the family got together again with Route 66.

There were so many lovely tunes we heard that afternoon…Corcovado, Emily, Georgia and more all played to perfection by fabulous musicians!