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'Philly Jazz: Fresh Cut From the Vine' celebrates Painted Bride's 40th anniversary

NONE OF THE musicians who gathered in a sixth-floor rehearsal room above the Merriam Theater a few weeks ago were even born when the Painted Bride Art Center began presenting jazz 40 years ago. But to celebrate the anniversary, the venerable and eclectic arts venue has decided to look forward instead of back, giving three local performer/composers a unique opportunity.

NONE OF THE musicians who gathered in a sixth-floor rehearsal room above the Merriam Theater a few weeks ago were even born when the Painted Bride Art Center began presenting jazz 40 years ago. But to celebrate the anniversary, the venerable and eclectic arts venue has decided to look forward instead of back, giving three local performer/composers a unique opportunity.

"Philly Jazz: Fresh Cut From the Vine" is a one-night-only performance by a 10-piece ensemble of some of the city's finest up-and-coming musicians, led by trumpeter Josh Lawrence, bassist Jason Fraticelli and drummer Anwar Marshall. All three have been busily composing and arranging new music especially for Saturday's event.

"As composers, we all wish for this kind of opportunity - and most people never get it," said Marshall.

"Fresh Cut From the Vine," referencing the Bride's Vine Street address, is the brainchild of longtime music curator Lenny Seidman. "This idea came out of a longstanding realization that there's just not enough opportunities for Philadelphia-based jazz artists," Seidman explained. "So I started thinking about the best way to attract attention and make some kind of catalytic impact on the jazz scene."

Collaboration is often a key component of the Bride's calendar. In recent years, they've offered "Big Ears," where renowned jazz drummer/composer John Hollenbeck performed new music with a handpicked ensemble of younger local musicians; and "Atypical," which brought together local dancers and composers. Seidman's band, Spoken Hand Percussion Orchestra, combined earlier this year with Philip Hamilton's Voices for a series of performances combining percussion and vocal styles from around the globe.

"I've been involved artistically and through programming with a lot of collaborative projects, and they offer great potential for artistic growth," Seidman said. "You're forced out of your box, and 99 percent of the time something really exciting and new happens from it."

For the three composers involved, that already seems to be the case: Hearing the others' new work for this event is pushing them to discover new ideas.

"We have some common ground, but there's definitely very different directions," Lawrence said. "It was cool for me, because I came in with my normal hat on - what I like my music to be about and how I like to write - and it was nice to just see two completely different ways of approaching the music."

"The common ground, as simple as it sounds, is jazz," Fraticelli said. "We realize that this is a very eclectic batch of music that we're going to do together, but I love that."

Lawrence, 30, is on the faculty at the University of the Arts. He's performed with Orrin Evans' Captain Black Big Band and Norman David's Eleventet as well as leading his own NEW Quartet. Fraticelli, 34, studied at Bucks County Community College and New York's New School University; he has shared the stage with percussionist Cyro Baptista, vocalist Melody Gardot and Hasidic rapper Matisyahu, and leads his own band, the Wet Dreams. Marshall, 24, studied at UArts and at the Ortlieb's Jazzhaus jam sessions, and has played with Lawrence in Captain Black and Fraticelli in the Wade Dean Enspiration.

Seidman chose these three composers after hearing them in a variety of contexts around the city. He told them to choose seven other musicians and write new music, and gave them total freedom from there.

The difference between composers was evident during rehearsal without ever hearing a note. Fraticelli's score for "The Mother Suite" covered page after page of sheet music; Marshall's tunes covered barely half sheet of paper.

"There's a lot of music on that page," Lawrence said, laughing and shaking his head. "It's kind of complicated but not hard to play. I feel like a lot of the more organic, in-the-moment stuff in the show is going to be happening in Anwar's pieces."

The band has formed an obvious camaraderie. On the surface, their rehearsal was much like any other: directions to the band and last-minute changes on their scores alternating with teasing, grousing over the condition of instruments and debates over where to grab a bite afterward. But there was also a heightened urgency in the air, an acknowledgment of the rarity of this opportunity in a scene that's been reduced to one full-time jazz venue.

"We're the test dummies for this project," Marshall said. "The Bride usually features amazing acts from out of town, so hopefully after this performance we'll convince them to keep this going."

Seidman harbors the same hopes. "This could be the template for a regular thing," he said. "I'm going to see if there is in fact a growth potential and if it really does inject some energy into the jazz scene. That way I can get a lot more local jazz musicians onstage and be a catalyst for what is sorely needed here in Philly and probably in the whole country."