Jazz harpist Lori Andrews performed her first song of the night, “Plucking Blues,” as part of the Sundays at the Morgan series. She has performed for celebrities, former U.S. presidents, and even the king and queen of Spain. Andrews performed at the University of La Verne about 15 years ago. / photo by Amanda Duvall
Cody Luk
Arts Editor
The sounds of harp, bass, drums, piano and saxophone joined together to bring an energetic evening to the audience Sunday in the Morgan Auditorium.
The concert included the JazHarp Quartet with Lori Andrews on harp, Bart Samolis on bass, Mark Hollingsworth on saxophone and Jamie Tate on drums.
Andrews is a jazz harpist who plays jazz, fusion and R&B. She released eight albums and has performed for former presidents Bill Clinton and Gerald Ford, the King and Queen of Spain and many celebrities. She also performs at jazz festivals, does harp coaching, records for television shows and films and more.
Samolis is a session bassist and a composer. He played music for many scores for television shows and films and also composes music in various styles for different projects. He is also the musical director for the Academy Awards Sci-Tech division.
Samolis is also Andrews’ husband. He recently worked on the movie Annabelle and he works on five television shows a week during season, Andrews said, while introducing Samolis.
Hollingsworth plays the saxophone and the flute. He is a studio woodwind player, composer and producer. He has played with Stevie Wonder, U2, Whitney Houston and many others. He is currently writing and producing music for two Disney shows as well as teaching at UCLA Extension.
Surprising the audience, Andrews revealed that the concert was the first time Tate ever played together with the group. He has worked with many famous musicians before, such as Michael Bublé.
The evening started with an upbeat and free spirited piece, with the saxophone as the main focus.
The song that followed had a distinctive contrast between the soft yet dynamic sounds of the harp with the beats of the drums. The different songs at the concert blended well.
When one ended, the next one continued, linking the different pieces together.
The group also enjoyed performing, as shown on stage. They often moved their bodies to the rhythm of the music while they were focusing on the music, emphasizing their emotions and love for performing.
They also looked very enthusiastic and appeared to be having a good time, bringing a positive flow of energy to the audience. The sounds of the saxophone, harp and bass guitar created a perfect harmony of the same melody.
Although the melody each musician was playing were the same, the differences between the instruments’ sounds made the performances very distinctive. The drums also added another dimension to complete the songs.
Andrews and Samolis played “Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t (My Baby)” together towards the end of the evening.
“I want to now play a tune with just me and my husband,” Andrews said to the audience. “Not that I don’t love you guys (the other performers).”
The piece was tranquil, soothing and sweet with dynamic rhythm and heart touching emotions. The couple smiled at each other while performing.
Since the harp is not a common instrument, Andrews gave a short harp lesson on stage toward the end of the concert and discussed the questions she usually gets asked.
The harp she plays is an electric and acoustic one. The body is hallow, around 110 pounds and has seven pedals and 47 strings. The pedals are like the black notes on the piano, Andrews said.
Andrews lightheartedly mentioned the various difficulties she faces on a regular basis when playing the harp, causing the audience to laugh.
“The harp is very difficult,” Andrews said. “I’m going bald playing the harp because the right side of my hair always get caught.”
“I have to move my feet to the other pedals to get to the black keys and sometimes I don’t get there in time,” she said. “You have no idea the tap dancing I do when playing… it’s a pain.”
The concert wrapped up with the addition of Reed Gratz, professor of music, department chair of music and musician, on piano.
Gratz is Andrews’ good friend for many years and he was invited on stage while sitting in the audience.
Gratz, along with the other performers, presented “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” and Andrews danced on stage halfway through the song, creating a cheerful atmosphere.
The last song was another lively one and the audience clapped throughout the piece several times, showing their enjoyment and appreciation.
“I thought adding the piano (to the concert) was the most important part because the composer himself was a pianist,” said Hagop Housbian, freshman international studies major.
“I just couldn’t see how it would have been possible without the piano,” he said.
“The concert was very good and they are excellent musicians,” said Michael Lamkin, a Claremont resident who frequents the Sundays at the Morgan concerts. “I liked all of it, they’re very inventive and work well together.”
“It was nice that they demonstrated what a fine musician Reed Gratz is and (how) he was seamlessly put into the group,” he said.
Cody Luk can be reached at cody.luk@laverne.edu.
