Bria Skonberg: Singer-trumpeter brings 'Brass and Belles' to Cafe Carlyle
Now a “New Yorker," the young Canadian player-songbird’s show blends New Orleans brass with a cool voice and warm horn in her own, and classic, tunes.
BY Tom Dworetzky
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Monday, April 15, 2013, 7:58 PM
Bria Skonberg debuted at Cafe Carlyle, with her show "Brass and Belles," April 12, 2013.
Why does a 27-year-old singer-trumpeter from Canada fall for the brassy sound of New Orleans Jazz?
In a word: Satchmo.
But it's not just the late, great Louis Armstrong's golden horn that drew a then-11-year-old Bria Skonberg in her chilly hometown of Chilliwack, B.C., to the hot brassy sounds of New Orleans...where in many ways the earliest form of American jazz was born.
It was Armstrong's obvious warmth as a person.
Skonberg has just debuted with her show "Brass and Belles" at the Cafe Carlyle's late-night venue “Second Act Series” April 11-12, and will be returning April 25-26 and May 23-24.
"Brass and Belles" includes her own compositions, and also moves smoothly from coast to coast and era to era with tunes made famous by such legends as Chet Baker, Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, and Keely Smith and Louis Prima. Skonberg sings and plays both trumpet and flugelhorn, accompanied by Sean Cronin on bass and vocals, Darrian Douglas on drums and Dalton Ridenhour on piano.
Bria Skonberg says Louis Armstrong and her dad led her to play the trumpet.
The show gave us a chance to ask her a few questions about Armstrong and other influences on her and her work:
News: What is it about Louis Armstrong that appeals to you so?
Skonberg: Louis is at the top of my list because beyond his famous musicality he was also an incredible human being; his joy and experience came through his playing and the musical language he communicated transcended multicultural borders.
News: What trumpeters are the ones that have inspired you?
Skonberg: I would take up this whole article with the whole list! I really enjoy listening to players on the cusp of swing into bebop like Charlie Shavers, Clifford Brown and Clark Terry. They balance immense facility on their instrument with rhythm, melody, and more complex harmonies of the time. Cornetist Ruby Braff came from that lineage and I am always satisfied listening to him. Wynton Marsalis is undeniably the one who ties all styles together today; I could spend a lifetime studying his contributions to music.
Bria Skonberg's show "Brass and Belles" features tunes including those by the Gershwins, Valaida Snow and her own as well. News: What drew you to the New Orleans sound?
Skonberg: Believe it or not my hometown of Chilliwack, B.C., had an annual Dixieland jazz festival that brought in players from all over the world and showcased local youth talent. I first loved the infectious energy and how the bands engaged the audience.
My high school started a trad jazz band and I joined in 11th grade. As I studied more I realized the music is a perfect starting point for young players to learn because it lays down the building blocks of rhythm and improvising, and encourages ensemble interaction. It's inclusive, non-intimidating music and I feel fortunate to have had that as a foundation.
At the time I just knew I was having a lot of fun playing music with my friends as if we were a team.
News: How do you see the role of New Orleans jazz, and Armstrong in particular, in the evolution of American jazz and pop music?
Bria Skonberg's show at the Cafe Carlyle showcased classics as well as her own compositions. Skonberg: As far as the evolutionary aspect of it, it was the beginning of jazz and that point however simple is often overlooked in music education today. If you were to skip the first few chapters in a book would you have a full understanding of the story?
Jazz was the pop music of its day and all American popular music has stemmed from it one way or another. Louis Armstrong was one of the founding fathers.
To understand the history behind this wonderful art form creates room for a depth of musicality. Otherwise it can tend to lack soul, becoming a copy of a copy.
News: Can you talk about whether you find it unusual to be a women trumpet player?
Skonberg: I know quite a few, so it's never been something I regarded as so different. One segment of the Brass and Belles show honors Valaida Snow, a vivacious African American trumpeter and vocalist from the 1930's.
Bria Skonberg and the band – Sean Cronin, Darrian Douglas and Dalton Ridenhour In NY I've crossed paths with Ingrid Jensen, Jami Dauber and Tanya Darby who are all amazing musicians and people.
For traditional jazz there is a ridiculous trumpeter/trombonist in Sweden named Gunhild Carling. For classical Alison Balsom is the most widely known; I have yet to hear her live but hope to someday.
News: Why did you move from piano to trumpet at age 11?
Skonberg: Seventh grade marked the start of school band and my dad encouraged me to play trumpet as he did back in school.
News: What first drew you to it?
Bria Skonberg at the Cafe Carlyle showcased her own tunes as well as standards from many eras of jazz. Skonberg: I loved the brassy trumpet section sound in big band and joined the school group in 8th grade.
News: Do you still play piano?
Skonberg: I was juggling so many activities between sports and music that something had to give; I now use my piano skills mostly for writing and practicing singing.
I'm really a product of an excellent school system and supportive parents. My high school band director gave me recordings of Louis Armstrong, Kenny Ball, and contemporaries like Nicholas Payton.
The Mammoth Lakes Jazz Camp and the Chilliwack Jazz Festival are where I really fell in love with jazz.
News: I understand you also danced when young? Does that experience inform you musical sense and composition?
Skonberg: Yeah, that's where all the odd time meters come in – just kidding.
I took tap and ballet, which likely contributed to my sense of rhythm and showmanship. I love creating music that gets people moving together, free of inhibitions. I love the sense of symbiotic energy when you play for dancers. So I'm lucky to have a variety of playing for them as well as concert style settings.
