Posted on April 19, 2007
The lights are dim. The soft, crooning voice of Jenny Nolte enchants the audience and two patrons waltz across the small floor of the Artful Dodger. The Jenny Nolte Sextet, led by senior vocalist Jenny Nolte and lead instrumentalist Robert Pyne, is a student group that began at JMU’s jazz combo auditions in the fall and now has a regular weekly gig at the Artful Dodger on Monday nights.
“They’ve got classic songs, and then they have… amazing songs that make you want to melt into your seat,” said freshman Maggie Park. “Sometimes, the beat is so strong you just have to get up and dance.” She then proved her point by beginning a waltz around the floor with her friend, to the amusement of many in the audience.
Although the atmosphere of the Artful Dodger is very relaxed with dim lights and candles on the small tables, it is not considered highly unusual for a few people to start dancing when there’s an especially good band playing. Most people, however, are sitting around casually on sofas, armchairs or at tables eating and chatting quietly, or just watching the band play.
The audience had many complimentary things to say about the band.
“They do a lot of standards; it’s not avant-garde like the other groups,” said senior Hilary Pauli. “And because they have a female vocalist, they’re more prominent, more organized.”
Nolte commented on what it was like being the only female in the group. Although she is mainly the group’s vocalist, she also plays the trumpet or flugelhorn on a few instrumental pieces.
“I feel like one of the guys… because we’re all instrumentalists,” Nolte said. Her favorite tunes include “Señor Blues” and “My Funny Valentine.”
Nolte is not the only multi-talented member of the band. Senior William Kenlon can be found playing drums and piano, and he also plays vibes and several other instruments, though not in this group. Pyne plays alto as well as tenor saxophone, and the other band members include Aaron Walker on piano, Patrick White on guitar, and Peter Jones on electric bass.
The band originally got the gig after a school-sponsored jam session. Chris Hall, the manager and bartender at the Artful Dodger, remembers the band’s first performance.
“They came in and played… and I liked the way they sounded, so I asked them to come back and play again,” Hall said. “We have a lot of jazz groups – we really cater to the jazz kids at JMU.”
Hall says the group is good for business.
“I know they’re good, and they draw a crowd,” he said.
According to saxophonist Pyne, they learn new songs every day. The group plays a wide variety of music ranging from swing to funk, Latin, soul and ballads. According to Pyne, their main influences are Cannonball Adderly, Paul Desmond, Sonny Rollins and Miles Davis for the instrumental songs. Their vocal pieces are inspired by Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaugn Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra.
They use their own arrangement of well-known tunes, and even feature a few original compositions by their drummer, Kenlon.
“The stuff we do here has more of an R&B feel to it… I don’t really have a favorite; any time we’re really comfortable up there I think we play better,” Kenlon said.
In addition to their weekly gig, the band has been encouraged to record a live CD for sale by the Artful Dodger.
“We have recorded two CDs, but due to copyright laws, we’re not sure if we can sell them,” Pyne said.
Over the summer, Pyne hopes to continue work on more original pieces for a new CD, which may be released in the fall. The band plays every Monday night from 8 to 11 p.m .at the Artful Dodger on S. Main St.
