"Weeknight Music is brilliant, balancing a healthy look forward with clear reminiscence on where Jazz came from; all from a young man who sports what may be one of the brightest young talents in Jazz."Excerpt from his review of the 2008 UCLA JazzReggae Festival
Last year, I applauded the festival organizers for adding more jazz to the line-up since they introduced JAM Day on Sunday, which was previously called Jazz Day. Their gamble paid off handsomely once again with a line-up of jazz featuring Dr. Lonnie Smith, John Densmore and Tribal Jazz, Elliot Deutsch Big Band and The Brent Canter Trio. The Elliot Deutsch Big Band kicked off the festival with a swinging extravaganza of straight ahead jazz with his big band. Elliot Deutsch is a gifted trumpeter/arranger. Their set consisted of “Yeah, We Are Sleeping Together” based on the tune “Just Friends” (pun intended), “There Will Never Be Another Chet Baker” based on “There Will Never Be Another You” which featured Elliot Deutsch hitting some high notes on the trumpet that would make Jon Faddis beam with delight. The group concluded their all too brief set with “Cheek to Cheek” arranged by the leader of the group.
-Ricky Ricardo