On Friday, Nov. 12, Mesa College’s music department hosted an absolute wonder of a performance during Recital Hour.

Presented by Ian Bassett, coordinator of Mesa’s Recital Hour, this performance featured a fusion jazz production led by Dr. N Scott Robinson on drums, Tim Parker on wind instruments, Kenny Evangelista on piano/keyboard, Ryan Campbell on electric guitar, and Matt Wilson on electric bass. 

The setlist consisted of 11 songs, and extended from an hour to an hour and an extra 20 minutes. After the show, the floor was open for questions, to which the band members answered openly, as well as sharing personal thoughts and inspirations that went into producing their songs. 

The theme of the recital was named “Decades”. It was based on fusion jazz songs from past decades (60’s, 70’s, even to modern day), hence the name. About half of the setlist are original pieces from band members, Dr. Robinson and Campbell. Even with enormous time gaps between the composition of the songs, they all followed up perfectly, and the setlist made about perfect sense.

The recital kickstarted with a piece called “Red Baron” by Billy Cobman. It was a great way to set the scene for the rest of the performance, with solo vocals from the sax and guitar and harmonic ties between the percussion and the bass. The piano gracefully tunes in and sways the song in a melodic, yet serenely angelic tone. 

As the recital went on, you were met with shifts in tempo and emotion. “Tell Me When” had you wanting to close your eyes, absorbing every chime and jingle from the percussion, breathing in and out deeply, as if you’d found inner peace. That was followed by a head-bopping “George’s Cell”, an original by Dr. Robinson himself. After you shook out the tranquility of “Tell Me When” with “George’s Cell”, “Salsa for Eddie G.” completely snapped you into a trance with Robinson’s epic drum solo intro, right into a chair-wiggling salsa groove. 

Although listening is key at any recital, one cannot help but notice the skill of each musician. Parker went back and forth between four instruments. Evangelista can play with one hand while the other monitors the sound system. Campbell has the most intimate conversations with his guitar as he plays, as well as with the bassist, Wilson, as he reads the rest of the musicians’ flow and groove, backing them up with a perfectly appropriate, yet original bassline.  

Dr Robinson’s expertise for percussion goes beyond your wildest dreams. He used shells and jingles tied to a net to create such magical effects that added an essential special touch to “Tell Me When”. His drumming in “Salsa for Eddie G.” had people’s eyes widen and jaws drop, such as mine. 

The fact that some of the best songs were original pieces says so much about these musicians. Campbell included three tracks on the list, and Robinson included another three as well. “Oreo’s groove” by Robinson was inspired by the cuddly Oreo himself, his winsome canine companion, as well as “The second love of his life” as he mentioned before performing the song. 

“I was walking the dog, and I was singing this line, and I was trying to figure out where those were, because the dog kind of goes all over the place,” Robinson said. “It became a challenge to play, the tune is in 19/4,” He continued.

This song was a very interesting listen because of its complex structure. Nonetheless, it was played smoothly, as well as being a fun listen. 

As previously mentioned, the floor was open for questions and conversation at the end of the recital. Band members were asked about their play time together, their inspirations, their roles in the group, and their background in music history. 

“So far, only Ryan and I are writing. Tim is often running as a transcriber.” Robinson mentioned. “One of us will bring in a tune, and then we bring it to rehearsal, and I do what we call ‘workshop it’. We jam on it, we talk about it, and whoever has ideas kind of throws it into the tune. So some of the tunes transform in rehearsal,” Robinson continued.

“It’s been about three years, but when I first came to California, I was playing with people older than me, and occasionally I bring along one of these guys,” Robinson answered, after being asked about the group’s background.

He continued to speak about how noticeable it is to play with different age groups, and how their differences complement each other.

“It’s interesting that I have a lot of experience and they have a lot of energy and fire to play.” Robinson continued.

The other band members also had a chance to speak. Robinson asked the rest of the group what connects them to this genre of music rather than traditional standards.

“I grew up with early classic rock, so I was already tuned to it, so I can relate to the sound,” Campbell answered. “When it came to jazz, Latin, salsa, and samba is what got me into it, so this is the blend of it all. For me, this is the best of all worlds.” He continued.

“I also grew up with classic rock with my parents; I’ve always been surrounded by classic rock,” Evangelista answered, after being asked how he can connect with fusion jazz.

Wilson was asked next. He said that he didn’t have a traditional upbringing in jazz. “I grew up in Sacramento. There’s not a lot of jazz, or really much music at all, happening up there, relatively speaking,” He said, mentioning how he discovered music on his own by going to record stores. 

“I had an interesting musical upbringing,” Parker said next, “My dad was a drummer, and he did a lot of rock himself, but what I grew up with was a lot of big band era swing and earlier jazz.” 

With the open floor, Recital Hour went overtime by about thirty minutes, so it was time to pack up before any further questions were asked. If it weren’t for time’s sake, this recital hour could’ve extended to about another hour, even two. There’s so much to unpack when it comes to jazz, especially fusion jazz.

Kudos to “Decades”; this performance was incredibly memorable for its ambience, music, and experience.

Don’t miss out on Mesa College’s Recital Hours, with different musicians of a broad range of genres playing weekly. They’re completely free, and all are welcome. Come show support!