Local Spins Live

The award-winning bunch of Grand Valley State University and Grand Rapids Community College students has high hopes and wise-well-beyond-their-years jazz chops. (Podcast, video)

At first blush, growing up on a 300-acre Michigan farm doesn’t sound like an ideal breeding ground for a jazz musician.

But for trumpet player Brad Fritcher, a good radio station and a grandfather who passed down some classic vinyl records of jazz pioneers such as Duke Ellington provided all the inspiration he needed to eventually pursue a career in jazz.

Now, the frontman for Brad Fritcher + trois and his young bandmates are quickly establishing a presence as one of West Michigan’s most promising and creative contemporary jazz outfits. They’ve already carved out an impressive path that’s seen them release their first album to almost instantaneous acclaim and win the 2013 ArtPrize/St. Cecilia song competition in the jazz category, with two of them – Fritcher and pianist Dutcher Snedeker – making a splash at weekly jazz jams at The Grand in downtown Grand Haven.

And it’s all happened since January, when band members got together for the first time, realizing almost immediately that something special was cooking with the chemistry between them. Perhaps more astonishing, these are college-age musicians.

“Right when I met Dutcher, we clicked right away,” recalls Fritcher, a Flint native who plans to complete his college degree at Grand Valley State University, where Snedeker and upright bassist Ryan Wallace are students. Drummer Christian Van Duinen attends Grand Rapids Community College. “It’s just been a good mix. We all have the same sense of humor.”

That musical chemistry had to be established in short order because band members quickly landed an opportunity to record their debut album in the studios at Blue Lake Public Radio in Twin Lake – a recording that shows off their ability to push the modern jazz envelope while staying true to the genre’s traditions. They wrapped up the album in 10 hours of recording over a single weekend.

THEIR OWN TAKE ON THE ART OF JAZZ

“It just shows that under extreme kind of stress, we were able to keep the art of the (jazz) tradition alive,” Fritcher suggests. “It was all live takes, first or second takes, and that was it. We just went in and laid down the tracks.”

Three of the band members – Fritcher, Wallace and Snedeker – adopted that same bold philosophy this week when they rolled into the studios of News Talk 1340 AM (WJRW) for Local Spins Live, performing a rendition of “Beautiful Love” by violinist and composer Victor Young. Listen to a podcast of the show here and watch a video of the performance below.

The unique mix of band members’ backgrounds has added to their compelling approach, from Snedeker’s experiences at Grand Rapids’ City High School to Fritcher’s love of eclectic musicians ranging from icons Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk to emerging artists such as rapper Danny Brown and trumpet player Marquis Hill, to Wallace spending a couple of years on the road with hardcore rock outfit Damages (after singing in a death metal band).

“That was really fun but I found myself unsatisfied with that because they were shorter sets and a lot of people don’t appreciate the musicality,” Wallace says. “I’ve always kind of liked more complex music. And when I started going to Grand Valley, I picked up the upright bass and played that classically and started practicing jazz under the guidance of (instructor) Michael Drost, who’s just a fantastic teacher.”

Weaving the modern with the traditional is part of the vibrant fabric of the quartet, which takes songs composed by Fritcher and Snedeker and “collectively rearranges” them.

“It’s not necessarily that we’re playing the way Miles would have or Coltrane or anything like that,” says Wallace, noting band members often listen to pop and hip-hop music.