Colombo opens PAAM Jazz Series

By Cheryl Kain

June 23, 2006

Imagine sitting comfortably in an environmentally conscious museum, in the oldest continuous arts colony in the country. Then imagine looking around at exquisite art (shows changing throughout the summer) while enjoying professional jazz musicians, and learning a bit about the history of that particular concert. The audience is clearly rapt with the music, as they gaze around at the latest installation of visual art.

Cape musician Bart Weisman will host the Dick Miller Jazz Series this summer as well as upcoming concerts for the fall and winter.

    Legendary horn player Lou Colombo will take the stage at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM), with Joe Delaney on piano, Laird Boles on bass and Bart Weisman on drums this Wednesday (June 28) at 6 p.m. Colombo has been a veteran of the Dick Miller Jazz Series at PAAM for over five years now. Colombo hails originally from Brockton, where his father, a veteran of World War I, participated in the drum and bugle corps, and when Dad brought home a bugle, "that was the beginning of my end," laughs Colombo.

    Ever the well-rounded musician, right out of high school Columbo was drafted for pro baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and played with them for seven years until he broke his ankle playing the outfield, finally and reluctantly giving up baseball at age 23.

    In the 1940's, Colombo began playing trumpet in a guitar and mandolin group at weddings and town events and remembers earning 67 cents for his first job. After playing the local circuit for a few years, in the 1950's, Colombo realized he was ripe to start his own band, with Dick Johnson and Dave McKenna, and they worked in Boston with The Society Band.

    Onward and upward, Colombo went on the road with Buddy Morrow, Prez Prado, and Dick Johnson and The Artie Shaw Orchestra. Next, he spent 15 years traveling back and forth playing East to West coasts on his trumpet, flugel horn, baritone horn and "pocket trumpet" a tiny, eye-catching trumpet only 8-10 inches long. While Lou's jazz trumpet is unbeatable, he says "Whenever they call me, I'm available" and "You might see me in a rock band, a big band or with a piano player or singer."

Colombo can be heard regularly at The Roadhouse Café in Hyannis on Monday nights and Mondays and Tuesdays in July and August. On Sundays, Colombo blows that horn at Soprano's on Route 28 in Mashpee.

    Last winter Weisman hosted winter jazz concerts at the museum, utilizing local and national talent. Everyone reaps the reward of pianist Dick Miller's hard work organizing the jazz series at PAAM, drawing rave reviews for the past nine years, bringing people into the museum to look at art and hear music, an extremely pleasurable multi-sensory experience.

    Acoustically, the museum is an audiophile's dream, with its high ceilings and efficient insulation (no heavy reverberation worries for musicians). Air conditioning ensures comfort, and the light, airy space is perfect for the marriage of art and jazz.

    "Our mission is to serve Cape Cod and the region, not just Provincetown. With our newly renovated state of the art facility, we're in a position to offer this programming. We aim to be inclusive," says Museum Director Chris McCarthy, who asked Weisman to take over the summer series. There will be six concerts, using veterans of the Jazz Series such as Colombo, and new performers like singer Amanda Carr.

    The multi-talented Weisman plays host to all six summer concerts, as well as plays drums with the jazz groups. "The grand piano lends itself acoustically to live jazz at its finest," says Weisman.

    Weisman has created an eclectic line-up, and is especially fond of working with guitarists, so part of the series will include a "guitar summit" Sept. 6, with four guitarists on the bill: Alan Klinger, Fred Fried, Pat Ryan, and Jim Robitaille. Each player will be featured, and all will perform together at the beginning and end of the concert.

    "It's great to be doing a summer jazz series bringing quality jazz to Provincetown. We have an accessible concert series and intimate performance space, and it's prestigious to be associated with the Provincetown Art Association and Museum," adds Weisman.

    As always in Provincetown, all are welcome. As opposed to a nightclub, this music experience draws in astute listeners, and is also child-friendly. It is fine to bring the kids along, and families are encouraged to introduce their young ones to jazz, the quintessentially American art form. Each concert begins at 6 p.m. and runs just a little over an hour, so you can spend the day on a boat or shopping; since the concerts end early, there's time for dinner afterwards at one of Provincetown's many fine restaurants.

    "So much of the jazz is reminiscent of the abstract art - we see people listening intently and gazing around," says PAAM Director McCarthy, who is enthusiastic about working with Bart Weisman. "He is easy to be around and gives an interesting, brief history of the jazz at the concerts."

    For environmentally sound Cape Codders, this museum is a "green" one. Open year-round, PAAM boasts solar power, daylight dimming systems, barely any extra watering of their grass, recycled materials; painting, carpeting, and cleaning products are all "green" as well. PAAM's architecture was lauded in a glowing Boston Globe review. This is a 52-week organization, strong all year and offering classes, concerts and shows.If you're an artist, membership with PAAM gets you into an "Open" show; juried shows (selected works) are offered, as well as their permanent collection of 2,000 works. They show 50 exhibitions a year with over 100 programs.

    "I'm happy that PAAM is supporting a very important art form - jazz - and keeping it alive on the Cape," says Weisman.