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Posted on June 20th, 2012 by samsontrinh
We’re excited to be making our first live show appearance in Charlottesville opening up for 80s bluegrass band, Love Canon! Love Canon is vocalist/guitarist, Jesse Harper (of acoustic supergroup Old School Freight Train), bassist, Darrell Muller (also of OSFT), Adam Larrabee (jazz guitar/banjo virtuoso), Andy Thacker (mandolin), and Nate Leath (fiddle). It’s going to be an epic night with a finale featuring both ensembles on stage together performing new arrangements!
Fresh off from our recent “Live Art” show with SPARC, The Upper East Side Big Band is back and tighter than ever. And to add more awesomeness, jazz trumpet legend, John D’earth will be joining the UESBB horn section that night to blow your faces off!
For tickets, go to The Jefferson Theater’s website HERE:
http://www.jeffersontheater.com/love-canon
Doors open @ 8PM. UESBB performs @ 8:30PM.
UPPER EAST SIDE BIG BAND:
Samson Trinh: musical director, arranger, sax, clarinet, uke
VOX, KEYS, & ORGAN: Adrian Duke
VOCALS: Allyson Mills-Steele & Terri Simpson
GUITAR/MANDO: John Conley
BASS: Andrew Randazzo
DRUMS & PERCUSSION: Aaron Thompson, Andy Brockmann, and Mike Boyd
REEDS: Suzi Fischer (alto sax, flute), Dr. John Wittman (tenor sax), Jonathan Gibson (bari sax, flute)
TRUMPETS: Rob Quallich (lead) and special guest, John D’earth
TROMBONES: Pete Anderson & Josh Wright
Tags: Aaron Thompson, Adam Larrabee, Adrian Duke, Allyson Mills-Steele, Andrew Randazzo, Andy Brockmann, Andy Thacker, Charlottesville, Darrell Muller, Jesse Harper, John Conley, John D'earth, John D’earth, John Wittman, Jonathan Gibson, Josh Wright, Love Canon, Mike Boyd, Nate Leath, Pete Anderson, Rob Quallich, Samson Trinh, samsontrinh.com, Suzi Fischer, Terri Simpson, Upper East Side Big Band, va
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Posted on May 18th, 2011 by samsontrinh
That’s right!!! Friday, June 10th at 8PM… FREE! Dogwood Dell has invited Samson Trinh & The Upper East Side Big Band to open up the Summer Concert Series again! Last year’s turn out was filled way past the 2,400 seat capacity. Joining them for the first set will be the six-piece Jazz/Americana group, the Mills Family Band.
The 20-piece big band will feature guest vocalists Adrian Duke, Allyson Mills-Steele, Curtis Mills, Desiree Roots Centeo, John Winn (from the Neighborliness Jazz Quartet), Terri Simpson (from the Butterbean Quartet), and Laura Ann Singh (from Quatro na Bossa). This is the DREAM TEAM of Richmond singers!!!
Why SO many vocalists? Because Samson’s going to present a smorgasbord of brand-spanking new musical arrangements, which will include new Samson Trinh originals, selections from The Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” album, and selections from The Beatles’ “White Album”! And to top it off, the big band will perform cuts from Samson’s first
album “Very Strange Night” to celebrate its 5th anniversary reissue.
And if that’s not enough, there will be three drummers on stage with a plethora of percussion toys! They’re going to be back and forth on drum sets, timpani, bass drum, bell chimes, xylophone, glockenspiel, cowbell, and more!
This is going to be a special and magical night. And the best part… it’s FREE! Spread the news to your friends and family. Pack a picnic and be prepared for us to blow your minds again! See you all on Friday,
June 10th at 8PM!
- Samson
THE LINEUP…
SET 1 – MILLS FAMILY BAND
Allyson Mills-Steele: vocals, guitar
Curtis Mills: vocals, guitar
Samson Trinh: sax, flute, clarinet
Rusty Farmer: bass
Andy Brockmann: drums, background vocals
Carter Gravatt: mandolin (special guest from Carbon Leaf)
SET 2 – UPPER EAST SIDE BIG BAND
Samson Trinh: musical director, composer, arranger, sax
VOCALISTS: Adrian Duke (keyboards/arranger), Allyson Mills-Steele,
Curtis Mills (guitar), Desiree Roots Centeio, John Winn, Terri Simpson,
Laura Ann Singh
GUITAR: Tom Patti
BASS: Rusty Farmer
DRUMS & PERCUSSION: Aaron Thompson, Andy Brockmann, Mike Boyd
SAXES, FLUTES, CLARINETS: Kevin Simpson, Suzi Fisher, Jonathan Gibson
TRUMPETS: Rob Quallich, Scott Frock
TROMBONES: Pete Anderson, Stefan Demetriadis
SPECIAL GUEST: Slashtipher Coleman
Tags: Adrian Duke, Desiree Roots Centeo, Dogwood Dell, Festival of the Arts, John Winn, Laura Ann Singh, Mills Family Band, Pet Sounds, richmond, Samson Trinh, samsontrinh.com, Terri Simpson, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The White Album, Upper East Side Big Band, va, Very Strange Night
Posted in News, UESBB News, Upper East Side Big Band | 2 Comments »
Posted on December 28th, 2010 by samsontrinh
Samson Trinh & The Upper East Side Big Band’s “The Abbey Road Project” has been named as one of the Best Richmond Albums of 2010 by Richmond Playlist!
“Richmond had so many amazing albums come out this year, there was no way I could lump them in with national releases and narrow them down to 10. So I made a completely separate list. And it was still hard to do. Here are the best albums Richmond musicians had to offer for 2010.” – From the Article
Check out the full article HERE!!!
Tags: Abbey Road, richmond, Samson Trinh, samsontrinh.com, Upper East Side Big Band, va
Posted in Beatles, News, UESBB News, Upper East Side Big Band | No Comments »
Posted on May 12th, 2007 by admin
Samson Trinh is going to make it. I can feel it. At only 23-years-old, one would think this musical ingénue wouldn’t attract listeners outside his native Richmond, Va. But he proves on his debut album, Very Strange Night that his style of jazz and orchestral standards is original, hip and represents his youthful mind. The album is one to buy, one to cherish and, frankly, one to completely be dumbfounded about. How on earth does someone put together such a great group of songs at 23-years-old? He sounds like he’s been doing this for ages.
Very Strange Night is both lyrical and instrumental jazz. But nothing is what it seems. The song titles alone will let you know that you’re in for a high-spirited journey: “I Can’t Believe I’m Addicted To The O.C.,” “I Tried To Talk To Her, But She Thought I Was Too Weird” and “Piece For Trumpet And Piano.” These songs give the album a wispy sense of an old-fashioned man stuck in the modern era. He’s not on a journey, he’s beginning one.
The first song, “Intro: Drop The Needle,” is nothing more than a few seconds of a needle being dropped on a record. The sound is haunting and sets listeners up for an experience that transports them back to the era of smoke-filled jazz rooms and big house bands. Even the CD itself is fashioned after an old record – with grooves and all!
Then, Trinh shows off with track two: “To You, Near You, With You.” It’s the album’s strongest song, thanks to Trinh’s composition and the smooth vocals of Terri Murphy. The song is a simple love story that stays along the whole old time theme. Murphy sings, “Met at a record store / Slow motion steps in / Oh, how long it’s been / Where do we begin?”
What’s great about Trinh’s composition is that he goes all out. Murphy is not simply accompanied by a piano in the background. She has literally a full band made up of a piano, guitar, bass, drums, violin, cello, flute, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, xylophone, chimes, timpani and bells. And if that wasn’t enough of a feast for your ears, Trinh throws in some finger snaps and whistles as well.
If there is one criticism to Trinh’s album it’s that he outdoes himself. The vocal-infused songs, like “Signs Are Full Of Jive” and “That’s Why,” are much better than the strictly instrumental. But that doesn’t mean their un-listenable. There is just much disparity on the album. There’s the great and the unbelievable.
If you’re looking for the oldest style of jazz, you’ll actually find it on the song with the most modern title: “I Can’t Believe I’m Addicted To The O.C.” The song begins with the wailing of trumpets and saxophones in a bouncy melody reminiscent of Disney’s “Fantasia.” When you close your eyes and listen you can see images of bustling city life and slowed-down suburbia. Trinh has a magical way of eliciting images and memories with his instrumental work.
The vocals on some tracks, such as Jackie Frost on “Thank Goodness,” reminded me of Norah Jones mixed with Rosemary Clooney. The lyrics are simple, the voice is sexy and the accompanying piano work is pulsating. You instantly get the image of a vixen singing into a ribbon microphone, all to the backing of toe tapping, cigarette sucking, fedora wearing and red lipstick bearing listeners.
If jazz isn’t your forte, try track 10, “Very Strange Night.” This one is more big band with wailing trumpets and abrupt outbursts of musical effusion. There are dueling tenor saxophones, trumpets and trombones. And the end of the song has that big blast of instrumental glee similar to Paul Shaffer’s opening composition on the “Late Show with David Letterman.”
Tags: 9 out of 10, debut, music-reviewer.com, Press, review, richmond, samsontrinh.com
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Posted on May 03rd, 2007 by admin
This recording is not merely a CD, it is an event; an event of gigantic proportions, given the amount of talent crammed onto the shiny side of the disc (which, by the way, resembles a miniature LP). As Trinh explains in the liner notes, the tracks are compositions of his that, for one reason or another, were never recorded.
With this CD, “Very Strange Night,” Samson Trinh has made up for lost time in a magnificent way. Forty-eight musicians participated in bringing Trinh’s compositions to fruition. Forty eight musicians gathered from the Richmond, Virginia area to make Samson Trinh’s debut CD a stunning reality.
The album begins with the sound of a needle dropping onto a vinyl LP and takes the listener on a musical journey that ranges from Twenties torch songs to Big Band Swing to Jazz Fusion, with a few more surprises in between. The production value is outstanding, fully capturing each horn, each snap of the snare drum and each vocal resonance with remarkable perfection.
It’s regrettable that Trinh didnt include more compositions for this recording. How often does one have forty-eight musicians at their disposal? It’s a shame the CD is limited to just over thirty-five minutes.
It is immediately obvious to the listener that every one of these forty-eight artists poured their hearts into presenting the heart and soul of Samson Trinh. This one goes into the reviewer’
s personal collection.
Tags: CD, day, review, samsontrinh.com, strange
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Posted on April 25th, 2007 by admin
April 2007 Jazz Society of Oregon
Rarely do you come across a young artist who stakes a claim as a composer first and foremost. Trinh is that rare breed. The 23-year old from Virginia follows in the line of the Gunther Schuller’s of the world, willing to hold a baton and sheet music rather than an instrument. Trinh apparently was born in the wrong decade, since his music harkens back to some of Ellington and Kenton’s more ambitious work, even in the recording style, which comes across as retro-mono with a modern twist. The opening track, “To You, Near You, With You,” is a 40s-era style vocal track with singer Terri Murphy backed by a big band orchestra. He takes it swinging, with “I Can’t Believe I’m Addicted to the O.C.”, a humorous title for a track that sounds like it could be an outtake from “Anatomy of a Murder.” This actually sounds like a soundtrack for a film noir, and effectively so. Trinh is effective in his retro sensibilities, even courting western swing and 70s hard fusion, a la Miles Davis circa 1968. While his arranging and compositional skills are spot on, it would be nice to hear something that sounds a bit more modern, so that one could gauge where he can go, rather than having to settle for his retro personality. Lounge Union Music, 2006; Playing Time: 35 Minutes, ****.
Tags: composer, conductor, jazz, samsontrinh.com, society
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