Nashville Scene: Holiday Fringe Critic’s Pick
Published in Upcoming Shows.
While steeped in musical history, Nashville has never taken to jazz as it has other American-bred genres of music — we’ve always favored twang over trumpets. Despite the city’s hillbilly heritage, local trombonist Oscar Utterstrom seems primed to find the audience fellow instrumentalists Philip Glass and Steve Reich have enjoyed over the past few decades. While Glass and Reich skew more orchestral, Utterstrom’s trombone playing channels the same sparse minimalism and restraint that’s helped the two composers earn much of their acclaim. Utterstrom’s 2012 release Departure comes across as a deconstructed and updated take on Kind of Blue or Mingus Ah Um, with its unhurried melodies and spacious accompaniment. At The 5 Spot, local pianist/composer/movie-score-man Michael Whittaker will join Utterstrom and his quartet for a night of seasonal tunes as part of the Nashville Fringe Festival.