Pam Bricker and Louis Scherr performing at the Four Seasons Hotel

Reprinted from the Washington Post

Saturday, May 26, 2001; Page C03

Pam Bricker and Louis Scherr

How do you bring an additional touch of class to a place like the Four Seasons in Georgetown? One way is to fill the hotel's Garden Terrace Lounge with the music of Alec Wilder, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Johnny Mandel, Clifford Brown and Bill Evans. Vocalist Pam Bricker and pianist Louis Scherr are doing just that during their ongoing Thursday night-only engagement.

Seasoned Washington-based musicians, Bricker and Scherr have a lot more in common than merely a love for the finer things in pop and jazz. Their natural rapport and obvious musical chemistry bring a flowing grace to their duo arrangements, no matter if the tune is rooted in tricky bop-ish harmonies or designed to cast a dreamy spell.

Thanks to her vocal range and agility, Bricker is adept at interpreting both kinds of material; her reprise this week of the dashing and witty "Joy Spring" radiated a wonderfully sunny quality, while her balladry, which ranged from the charming ("Waltz for Debby") to the reflective ("A Time for Love"), was warm and intimate. Scherr opened the evening alone, with a thoroughly lyrical arrangement of "Moon and Sand," before accompanying Bricker with a discreet and knowing touch. A particular pleasure was hearing Scherr spin melodic variations between the verses -- a talent that freshened even the most familiar tunes.

One caveat: The Garden Terrace Lounge apparently attracts a lot of table and cell phone chatter. Be careful where you sit.

-- Mike Joyce

TONY MARTUCCI AT BLUES ALLEY

Reprinted from the Washington Post

Tuesday, May 29, 2001; Page C3

Tony Martucci: A Sideman Steps Up

Drummer Tony Martucci usually plays a supporting role in jazz venues around Washington, accompanying well-known out-of-towners, such as Mose Allison, and numerous local artists. So it was refreshing to hear him lead his own quartet at Blues Alley on Sunday night through a colorful repertoire of seldom-heard tunes and original compositions.

For more than five years now, Martucci has collaborated with Glenn Wilson, a Richmond-based baritone saxophonist who infuses the group's sound with a deeply resonant yet remarkably nimble tone. The best example of his dexterity came when the band unearthed "Elusive," a challenging musical maze constructed by the late Thad Jones. Wilson half-jokingly described the piece as "containing more notes than any other jazz tune," but he went on to reveal its dashing charm through a series of swift but carefully articulated choruses. The up-tempo tunes were further enhanced by Martucci's characteristically insistent but uncluttered attack, pianist Jim Ridl's cascading improvisations and bassist Steve Novosel's emphatic, swinging pulse.

Wilson's distinctive approach to ballads was also showcased. Martucci used a clay hand drum to softly frame the band's rendering of Harold Danko's "Alone but Not Forgotten," a perfect match for Wilson's rich tone and expressive phrasing. "The Jin Factor," a tune composed by Martucci for his 11-year-old son, offered yet another contrast in mood by virtue of its slippery rhythms and soul-jazz air. No matter the tempo, though, the performances were cohesive and engaging.

-- Mike Joyce