:::3rd Band:::

To call “3rd Band” a jazz quartet would be terribly misleading. Sure, they have four musicians that are playing improvisational music but categorizing them this way can only take you so far. As soon as you hear or see them, you realize they are unconventional in every way. The first thing you may notice is the unusual instrumentation of bass clarinet, accordion, trumpet, and the unique back-pack drum set; where each instrument substitutes for your typical jazz lineup. The bass clarinet played by Jacob Teichroew takes the role as the bass player in the group allowing for low end support while still being able to add support as a horn player. Nathan Koci provides the harmony for 3rd Band on his accordion which gives the group a distinctive worldly sound. The main melodic component of the group comes from saxophonist Kristian Baarsvik’s warm tone and mastery of the jazz language. The founder and primary arranger/composer of the group, Danny Wolf, takes charge of the rhythms on his own invention called the back-pack drum set. A sight in itself, the unusual drum set is meant to be played standing up while Danny uses a wide array of percussive sounds and rhythmic complexity to propel the music to a new level.
Danny’s concept behind the group was to create a unique musical experience that was just as stimulating visually as it is musically because of the bands ability to all play while standing. Although the word gimmick may come to mind, 3rd Band is anything but. The groups individuality leads to a specific function rather than just selling on the basis of distinctiveness. There is a special musical communication that comes with the ability to all be on the same level with each other that is not found in other jazz ensembles.
As far as the music is concerned, 3rd Band is essentially a cover band with a distinct sound that includes rhythms from Morocco, complex jazz harmonies and an underlying rock sensibility. Danny has the ability to take recognizable repertoire from a variety of genres and put it into this original context. No music is too avant-garde, poppy or obscure for 3rd Band to cover. Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”, Soundgarden’s “Spoonman”, Scriabin’s “Prelude Op. 74 No. 3” and Oscar Hammerstein’s jazz standard, “Softly as in a Morning Sunrise” are just samples of the music that 3rd Band interprets.

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