The 2023 MO Jazz Music Festival featured locally known and nationally acclaimed musicians at Rose Music Hall on Sept. 9. The free event, organized annually by the Jazz Forward Initiative, hosted Samantha Fierke, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, Dawn Weber & Good Company and The Bel Airs. The main event for the evening was The Lao Tizer Band with nine-time Grammy-nominated and two-time Grammy-winner saxophonist Eric Marienthal. Here is a brief review of each band as they appeared at the festival.

Samantha Fierke

Columbia’s very own Samantha Fierke opened the festival. Fierke, who now studies at Berklee College of Music, brought an element of youthfulness to the festival. Their vocals were accompanied by Samuel Luetkemeyer on keyboard, Mickey Jamieson on bass, Loyd Warden on drums and Trevor Philippe on saxophone and flute. The group performed several pieces off of Fierke’s 2022 album “Mirage,” including “Kick it Loose” and “Smile Again.” They also performed a few modern standards — among them Chick Corea’s “Spain.” The band demonstrated great control of feel. The time in each song carried an airy lightness while still contributing to an energetic performance overall. 

Comparisons could easily be made between Fierke and other laid-back female vocalists like Diana Krall, but her vocal style is also edged with a tone reminiscent of modern pop vocalists. 

“I love picking up sounds from anywhere I can,” Fierke said. “And sometimes, if I stick to all the traditional sounds it can limit what I have access to.”

 Although they are currently studying in Massachusetts, Fierke still calls Columbia home. During their performance, they noted the importance of Missouri’s historical contribution to jazz music, specifically noting Kansas City and St. Louis’s history with the genre. Fierke also noted the influence Columbia has had on their own experience with music.

“Growing up here you get a lot of people that really care and have a lot of heart, and are ready to kind of slow down and grow together,” Fierke said of Columbia. “It’s a culture that allows a lot more collaboration and love of the music.”

Fierke and their band certainly all have brilliant futures on the horizon

The Bel Airs

Changing directions completely from the modern fusion of Fierke’s performance, the audience was treated to another local group. The Bel Airs are a gritty trio of blues musicians. Though not strictly a jazz performance, The Bel Airs brought music to the festival full of rock-n-roll influence and reminiscent of the Chicago blues tradition. 

The band is fronted by brothers Dick and Dave Prüitt, who play bass and electric guitar respectively. The brothers are joined by drummer Michael Cherry. The band was characterized by the rough vocals of Dick and his brother’s electric solos on guitar; Dave’s extensive vocabulary of R&B phrases was on full display throughout the performance.

Dawn Weber & Good Company

St. Louis trumpeter and vocalist Dawn Weber made her fourth MO Jazz Fest performance this year. She was joined by Good Company, a band including some of St. Louis’ finest musicians. Among them was Jason Swagler, director of jazz studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The performance was characterized by Weber’s joyful singing set to high-energy funk. 

The energy led Weber to dance on stage, often jumping up and down with the music, trumpet in hand. Though Weber is not a member of Good Company she was a very effective frontwoman for the band. Weber was very capable of taking on several roles throughout the performance. She sang, soloed on trumpet, but also took a back seat on a couple of songs allowing other musicians to shine. Swagler in particular had several soul-filled solos. 

Jonathan Scales Fourchestra

Jonathan Scales Fourchestra certainly had the most unconventional instrumentation of the five bands. The trio of E’Lon JD on electric bass, Maison Guidry on drums and Jonathan Scales on the steel pans performed music with influences from around the globe. While styling domestic influences from the rock genre, the band also played with sounds from the Caribbean and Middle East.

“I have a reputation for writing complicated music,” Scales said during the performance. 

Scales also seemed to connect with the audience throughout the performance. During one of the band’s more rhythmically complicated songs, Scales explained the complexity of the time signature to the audience. Within minutes, he had the audience chanting with the beats of the 7/4 time-signature music. 

Guidry got his chance to shine during an over five-minute-long drum solo, which was cheered on by the audience. For their final song of the set, the group had much of the audience up and dancing right in front of the stage.

The Lao Tizer Band

As the main event for the evening, The Lao Tizer Band was nothing less than exceptional. The group started off slow but quickly kicked into an energetic rhythm. Frontman Lao Tizer on keyboard and Hammond organ led the band through his modern, funk-influenced arrangements. The band itself was stacked with great musicians. The lineup included brilliant bassist Cheikh N’Doye and drummer Gene Coye. 

Though the band’s advertised singer, Elliott Yamin, was seemingly absent, the great Eric Marienthal made up for the loss. Marienthal is a two-time Grammy-winning performer who has played with musicians such as Randy Brecker, Elton John, Chick Corea, Billy Joel and many more. His star power shone during the performance in his animated solos. The band’s set was short but concluded the festival on a high note.

Edited by Annie Goldman | agoldman@themaneater.com Copy edited by Grace Knight | gknight@themaneater.com