The other band I had the pleasure to see this week was Thinkin’ Big. This gathering of musicians is a perfectly sized big band, with the subtle bandleader, Jonah Francese playing trumpet.

This subtlety is a nice thing to see. I feel as though many bandleaders get up and conduct or come center stage just for the spotlight. Its great that a band leader can not only write up some great orchestrations and charts, but also let others take the reigns with their own charts and songs. Nicely built into the set were a good handful of original pieces by different members of the band.I love some good big band music, but my only complaint ever has been that I feel as though every time I see one I’m listening to the same music with a different style. Hearing original big band music gave new life to what I had originally thought of as big band music. With three vocalists and many soloists, it turned a beautiful day into a hoppin’ one. The tables were packed, people were loving it, and there were smiles all around. “This group is really all students?”

Where’s the teacher?” It seemed beyond the realm of possibility that a student could gather such a group like this together and make it all work to some of the audience. Not to sound cliché here, but I guess it does pay of every now and then to really be thinkin’ big.

To find out more about Berklee’s summer concert series, please visit us at Berklee.edu. There, you can find out more about your favorite artists and where you can see them next!

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