Monday, March 16, 1998
Group performs folk, jazz medley in perfect harmony
UCLA student sings, writes songs with relaxed band of
friends
By Trinh Bui
Daily Bruin Contributor
The dream of becoming the next big thing started Thursday for
music group Collective Harmony when they took the Westwood Plaza
stage. Playing together for the last two months, this jazz/folk
outfit pieced together a capable coming-out party with enthusiastic
melodies.
Performing a musical style rarely heard around the Southland,
Harmony fuses folk with improvisational-privy jazz. The result is a
sonic patchwork quilt emphasizing folk’s honest lyrics and jazz’s
emotionally centered music.
Harmony’s birth is a story in itself; Jenni Alpert, lead singer
and songwriter, scoured the UCLA campus for anyone willing to play
her music. Alpert’s goal was to bridge two technically different
music formats into a hybrid style.
"I just wanted to fuse together folk, which is a standard
structure style, with something improvisational and nonstandard,
like jazz," Alpert says. "Putting them together creates new tunes
that meld the harmonies of jazz and folk. I know bands have tried
this before, but it is such a beautiful tune that I had to try and
create."
A jazz vocal major, Alpert had been soloing her songs and
spoken-word pieces in coffee shops for the past three years. Now
with a band, Alpert and company plan on producing an album and
gigging more coffee shops.
So far, Alpert handles every aspect, from writing the songs to
promoting and booking the band. It has given her a first-hand look
at all the difficulties involved with running a band. A
self-admitted stage junkie, Alpert can’t imagine herself doing
anything else but performing.
"I am a performer," Alpert states. "I don’t have a choice. I
just want to perform and not necessarily make money or become
famous but just influence people with my music."
Her music is a collection of melodies that are improvised by the
other members of the band. Over the changes, bassist John Clasic,
percussionist Saler Saleh, guitarist Tim Oleary, sax man Chris
Young, trumpeter Danny Larvin and violist Marla Littleton add their
own interpretations to Harmony’s songs.
The most difficult instrument to incorporate into jazz format
has been the viola. Littleton is encouraged by her progress in
bringing string instruments into pop music.
"Ninety-nine percent of string instruments are played through
sheet music," Littleton says. "It is unheard of to improvise string
arrangements, like what we do in Harmony. It has been more
difficult than I thought it would be to change over, but I really
want get rid of the mentality that strings can’t be incorporated
into jazz."
Littleton’s improvement in freestyle strumming is a testament to
the group’s growing bond. They have become a tight band, realizing
the talent and creativity that each member contributes. The unity
and nurturing nature of the band facilitates the on-stage
improv.
"Our friendship definitely relaxes the atmosphere, for me, at
least," Littleton says. "I know all the guys just want to help me
with the music. We are very comfortable around each other, and it
helps onstage. It is like we’re on the same wavelength …
everything clicks."
The on-stage comfort level was apparent during their hour-long
session Thursday afternoon at Westwood Plaza. They started the show
with a cool set ditty; the horns blared mellowing grooves over
Alpert’s trained vocals.
Harmony’s sound is reminiscent of the Indigo Girls and Ella
Fitzgerald; a Grateful Dead/Phish atmosphere permeated from the
band as well. Casual was the word as a band member who was not
performing a particular song chilled and enjoyed the music with the
other UCLA students seated directly on stage.
Collective Harmony paced their beats well, never
overexaggerating sections of the song. The structure allowed for
jamming that fit into the general intent of each song and
demonstrated a mature level of execution. "Honest Smile" was a
pop-y number with bits and pieces of Joni Mitchell eking out
between the chorus. Alpert admits her influence from folk singers
but balks at the notion she is representing the fem-force.
"I write songs about the people I meet, the situations that I
have been in or observed," Alpert says. "The feminist movement in
some respect annoys me, but I admire the people that can write
about issues facing women."
Collective Harmony worked through a set of tunes Thursday
afternoon, showcasing the musical range that is blossoming within
this group. They’re still lacking a unique sound that will separate
them from other folk/jazz bands, and trip up sometimes in the flow
of the music. Yet there is potential, and Collective Harmony, with
its displays of brilliance, will surely aim to evolve into a band
that lives up to its enthusiasm.