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Last Saturday at Ari Rubinstein’s junior recital the next generation of jazz players came together and played.

One thing is certain, the future looks bright for the genre.

Rubinstein on the drums kept the band going and focused with his tight, clean and passionate drumming.

Whether the songs were energetic and racing or languid and soulful the drums kept everyone together.

The line-up was an excellent mix of audience favorites like the show-opener “Milestones” written by Miles Davis; the show closer, a rendition of “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” written by Joe Zawinul, and new tunes like “Chupacabra” written by Denver local Eric Bernhardt.

The rousing rendition of “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” was a highlight of the show.

The song featured a full band with trumpet, vibes, bass, baritone sax, alto sax, tenor sax and of course drums.

Each musician played a solo that was enjoyable.

The drum solo was impressive with a great tempo and feeling

Two other notable solos were the trumpet, played by Brynn Rector, and the vibes, played by Mark Clifford.

The trumpet solo seemed complicated with lots of quick sharp notes and ranges that changed at a dizzying speed.

The vibe solo could only be described as “banging.”

Another notable solo was played by Mike Gomez on the alto saxophone.

His solo was soulful and completely different from any of the previous.

The whole song was enjoyable with the band obviously enjoying playing.

“Gertrude’s Bounce,” written by Richie Powell, gave Rubinstein a chance to shine on the drums.

The solo had long, musical phrases that were punctuated by interesting rhythm.

Right before this song Rubinstein apologized to all the Jews in the audience because, “this song sounds like a Christmas carol.”

This brought the house down.

The song “Pure Imagination,” written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, is recognizable from Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory.

This was the only serious departure from the upbeat program.

This song is quite languid and seems to float along. The song’s tempo picked up during the bass solo.

Other great songs of the night were “Milestones,” written by Miles Davis, which was the first song of the night and was a great showcase for the band, and “Blue Trane,” written by John Coltrane, which had a lot of interaction between musicians.

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