Localized

The Ambassadors

Even though they share a member with Hot Club of Zion, and both bands came through the jazz program at the U of U, the Ambassadors are a completely different kind of jazz combo, drawing on more modern influences and experimental cornerstones such as Charles Mingus or Gil Evans. Jazz is a genre that has evolved and expanded over time, yet one that has never let its subgenres completely detach. The Ambassadors carry that inclusive spirit with them, and take their name from their desire to introduce their jazz music to as many people as they can.

“We wanted to do something creative,” says Nathan Royal, reappearing in The Ambassadors, this time alongside drummer Richard Gailey, tenor/soprano saxophonist David Hall and trombonist Evan Wharton, among others. Royal continues to say, “We are all into a lot of the same types of jazz that mostly come from inside the jazz world as opposed to outside of the genre, going for more of an avant-garde sound. We were kind of going for hard bop with a twist, or hard bop with some modern influences,” hard bop being a jazz form that took shape in the mid-’50s that includes a polished sense of rehearsal and conventions from rhythm and blues. The environment of the school program that all the members are a part of helped the band form and craft something they all wanted to be a part of. “Being in the program forces us to rehearse every week,” says trumpeter Eric Devey, “and it gives us performance opportunities we wouldn’t have otherwise. It puts us in touch with some of the best people in the state to give us guidance. People like the Jazz Director at the U, Russell Schmitt, [have] come and helped us, and having access to that kind of brain is a huge asset.” Playing this intricate style has presented trials that have been difficult, but have made the group stronger as players. “It’s hard because we don’t have a piano,” says Royal in reference to the usually prominent, somewhat jangly gospel-style piano found in hard bop. “I know a lot of people associate hard bop with piano, but that’s also fun and challenging for me as a guitarist to try and fill that role.” 

Keeping in mind that not every audience can appreciate some of the more complex territory they tread, the Ambassadors avoid becoming stale like many bands around town. “I think that a lot of times, when you go to a jazz show, it’s not really a jazz band,” says bassist Alicia Wrigley-Gailey. “I mean, I rarely work with a lot of the same people except for these guys, so, because we’re all buddies, we’ve been able to cultivate a dynamic between us instead [of] just playing boring charts and never looking up from the sheet music.”

The Ambassadors have proven that being musicians and devoting themselves to jazz has been a hard sell to some loved ones, but it’s passion that wins in the end. Wrigley-Gailey says, “I hope we’re winning people over. I have one success: My mother has fought me being a jazz musician for a long time, and she’s finally on board and says she likes our band.” The stereotype of the deadbeat musician might make some timid to choose this practice as a profession, but because of their flexible chops, the members of the Ambassadors have been able to make a living following their ambitions. “I’ve talked to a lot of people who are getting these serious degrees,” says Royal, “and they’re thinking about finding a job, and I’m already making money playing music, doing exactly what I want to be doing.” Once Royal finishes school, he says that he will relish and take advantage of the extra time he’ll have to gig more, since he won’t have to worry about classes or homework. He feels confident about what his education has supplied him, though, and says, “Playing jazz has made us knowledgeable and flexible musicians—we can step in anywhere [and] fit in well. We can play weddings or get hired for musical theater, and because of our jazz training, we’re able to improvise on top of what’s on the page.”

The jazz that the Ambassadors play is complex, but the experiment is to take these complex notions and translate them and connect with an audience. A blasting horn section and multifaceted rhythms will engage anyone listening, and before you know it, you’re hooked. Legendary jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie once said, “Men have died for this music—you can’t get much more serious than that,” and I think that says it all. Jazz is music that affects people on another level. It captures minds and doesn’t let go. Catch these bands and opener Exponential Rabbit, May 11 at the Urban Lounge.