| Full-blown Trumpet legend Sandoval goes all out at Meyerson 04/12/2001 By Al Brumley / The Dallas Morning News Everybody knows about that clapping rule at concerts: No applause between movements.
But what do you do when Arturo Sandoval is onstage, playing in one trumpet concerto practically every genre of music known to man – including jazz improv?
Wednesday night at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, the crowd didn't hesitate: They clapped long and hard.
Mr. Sandoval was the featured performer in a truly eclectic night of music put on by the all-volunteer Metropolitan Winds.
Music director and conductor Randol A. Bass included everything from cartoon music to hymns set to groovy '60s beats. It had to be one of the most unusual concerts in the hall's history.
The orchestra started out tentatively with Cartoon by Paul Hart, an ode to all that wacky background music we grew up listening to on Saturday mornings.
Despite the zaniness of the piece, the playing felt tight, and that continued into the second piece, Gershwin's Cuban Overture. A sense of timidity settled over the orchestra like a mist. The notes were there, but they weren't there.
Then Mr. Sandoval joined the orchestra for Floyd Werle's Second Trumpet Concerto and woke everyone up.
The concerto, one of three written by Mr. Werle for Doc Severinsen, premiered in 1971 and, according to Mr. Bass, has rarely been performed since.
After hearing it, you could understand why. It's a demanding piece, even for a trumpeter of Mr. Sandoval's remarkable talent.
But he pounded it out without a hitch, working his way boldly through tricky rhythms and, when the piece allowed for improvisation, cutting loose with blinding speed, hitting notes most trumpeters can only dream of. Imagine a pocketful of BBs being shot from a cannon into a glockenspiel.
After intermission, the orchestra returned with Mr. Werle's Sinfonia Sacra, also written in 1971 and odd enough to compel Mr. Bass to tell the audience he'd been worrying for several days how to prepare them for it.
Instrumentation included electric guitar and bass, a drum set and a synthesized Hammond B-3 organ. If that's not enough, George Dunham from "The Ticket" KTCK-AM (1310) was onstage reading Scripture.
But the earlier adrenaline carried over, and the orchestra sounded, well, electric.
Mr. Sandoval rounded out the concert with "Rhythm of the World," "All Night Long" and "A Mis Abuelos" – each wondrously rendered but criminally short.
He also played two solo numbers on the piano, demonstrating beautifully fluid chops – especially for a guy who makes his living blowing a horn.
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