collection of 3

From The Morning Call www.mcall.com - Allentown, Pa
COLLECTION OF 3 DEFTLY LEAPS MUSICAL BOUNDARIES AT BORDERS
By TONY SIENZANT, Special to The Morning Call -- Freelance Call them
"acid-jazz," a jam band or just plain good musicians, but one thing is
certain: Collection of 3 employs an exciting blend of styles that owes as
much to John Coltrane as it does to the harder, aggressive sounds of
contemporary youth. Comprised of Steve Rosati on upright and seven-stringed
bass, Kyle Angst (his real name) on electric guitar and Alonzo Lister on
drums, the local trio also can evoke late-'60s rock improvisations
reminiscent of Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead and The Doors, the arty
fusion style of Weather Report, and even touches of Limp Bizkit. Last weekend
at Borders Books Music & Cafe in Whitehall Township, Co3 kept interest high
at a release party for its five-song EP, "... and it's like that?" by spicing
its set with compositions by jazz trio Medeski, Martin and Wood, revamped
Coltrane numbers, their own supple grooves and even a cool rendition of The
Police's "Message In A Bottle. "You might think that it would be difficult to
gauge a band's effectiveness in such a venue, especially since there was no
cover charge and that coffee drinkers could wander off to other sections of
the store. But with every table filled and a standing crowd of 80 people, Co3
proved riveting. Without showmanship (there wasn't even a microphone to
address the crowd), Co3 displayed its dedication to music. Particularly
revelatory was how Lister's rhythmic riffs, moving from a syncopated jazz
beat to a samba-tinged backing, could utterly affect the overall mood while
the others continued on with the same groove. With only an EP's worth of
material, some of which reportedly is in rotation on Music Choice Television,
Co3's set seemed a little short. But prodded into an encore, the trio obliged
with another 15 minutes, performing a largely improvised piece that was
urgent, organic and nearly orgasmic, leaving everyone with a smile as wide as
Rosati's toothy grin. Collection of 3 will open for Space Station
Interpretation at 10 p.m. today at the Basin Street in Kutztown.
610-683-7900.Tony Sienzant is a free-lance writer. Entertainment Editor Len
Righi610-820-6626 len.righi@mcall.com
- the morning call

The Beat ,Pulseweekly



By Jenny Poust, Editorial Assistant

Jazz It Up
Local band Collection Of 3 brings something new to the table with a little bit of musical variety and a whole lot of attitude. There’s just one thing missing ...
What do you call a band that has all the components of making music – guitars, bass, drums – but no singer? Collection Of 3.
This acid-jazz/jam trio consists of founders Steve Rosati (bass) and Kyle Angst (guitar) and currently rotates drummers John Kimock and Pete Quinter. Due to the lack of a vocalist – who we didn’t even realize was missing at first listen to the band’s 2003 EP – it’s imperative that the music itself holds the public’s interest. But just because the guys aren’t actually singing the lyrics in their rendition of The Police’s Message In A Bottle doesn’t mean you can’t hear Sting singing the words. Moving right along, CO3 formed back in 1995 when Rosati and Angst were music majors at Temple University. The two men and their fleet of guitars and basses (Rosati’s collection consists of a fretless, a four-string, a five-string and an upright) made music together until the revolving door of drummers shut in 1998 when high school buddy Alonzo Lister joined them. But just last month, Lister left the group, leaving Kimock and Quinter filling in at gigs.
Since CO3 has played popular events like RiverFusion, the Berks Jazz Fest and Hexfest, we thought it only right to get to know these local players a little better. Check out what Rosati has to say about the band, a good sense of humor and creative depression.

PULSE WEEKLY: There’s a whole slew of jam bands in this area. What makes you different from them?
STEVE ROSATI: Well, I think we’re different because most of the jam bands in the area are based on a Grateful Dead kind of jam. We’re more based on the jazz end of it; more like Soulive [or] The Slip.
PW: How’d you get the acid-jazz label?
SR: Collection Of 3 started out as a traditional jazz group. We were doing standards out of a book. We got bored with that and changed things up. It’s got to stay interesting; if it stops being interesting for us, it’s not going to be interesting for the listener. We take different tunes, like rock tunes, and turn them into standards.
PW: Can you give me a far-out example?
SR: We do Smells Like Teen Spirit.
PW: I wonder what Kurt would say.
SR: Kurt isn’t going to be saying much of anything – maybe we could channel him later. But I think he’d actually dig it; I think he’d like it with the banjo. Since we don’t have a vocalist, a lot of times we’ll be doubling a part. I play it on upright, so it adds that whole different vibe.
PW: What else makes CO3 different? Come on, give us the dirt.
SR: There’s a lot of humor [in the band]. That’s kind of the glue of the band. We all love Seinfeld – normally I would answer the phone “Vandelay Enterprises.” Or, like, our bios – I have a huge bio and Kyle just wrote “Plays guitar.” That’s his bit of humor. I constantly introduce us as the Spice Girls. We like to confuse people.
PW: You had your CD release show at Borders over in Whitehall. Why there?
SR: We chose Borders because my friend used to work there. It was an easy, accessible place for us to throw the CD out. Everybody could come to it. Borders is a cool place. We played in the café. They said there were more people there than they’ve ever had.
PW: So, bookman, what’s the most recent novel you’ve read? Any Harlequin Romances?
SR: No, that’s not really me. [laughing] I think my girlfriend would get upset. The latest book I read was The Van Gogh Blues, which deals with mental health. Artists have a certain kind of depression that a lot of other people don’t deal with. You see that quite a bit; Kurt Cobain is a perfect example.
PW: Do you fall into that category?
SR: I think everybody can fit into that category if you’re lying dormant, if you’re not performing or creating. When you plateau, you have this creative deficit and sometimes that creative deficit actually causes creativity. I don’t think I suffer from that, but I still thought it was an interesting book ... and it was on sale.
PW: A bargain shopper, eh? Does that mean you’re cheap?
SR: I don’t think so, but my girlfriend would say yes.
PW: Why’s that?
SR: I have no problem buying an expensive bass, but I guess when it comes to home furnishings, I’d rather go cheap
- Pulseweekly

From www.jambands.com
Collection of 3 The Fun House 12/26/00 By C. Huber Collection of 3 played
Dec 26 at a well known bar in the A.B.E. region( Allentown,
Bethlehem, Easton). The band set off with a brief musical interlude before
breaking into a fortified funk jazz tune called Cha La` (If God is Willing).
This song displayed the bands Philly roots with the bass player Steve Rosati
playing a chordal Hammond groove while Guitarist Kyle Angst threw down a
tight syncopated counter groove to Steve’s bass riff. Drummer Alonzo Lister
keeps the band well rooted to the ground. With out even a word to indicate to
each other the next selection, a well known MM&W Dracula tune, popped forth
form the former song. Bassist Steve switched from his electric to upright
bass to keep with the original sound of the song. The crowd listened
contently to this under ground phenomena known as Collection of 3. These guys
have the acid jazz hook in the bag. The night finished out with one of their
funkiest tunes, Glory Hole, which set the room in blaze of excitement with
people applauding and whistling. Glory Hole brought the gig to a close. These
Guys will be playing at the Berks jazz fest. I believe it is a must that you
check them out you will not be disappointed.
- jambands

Get Into The Act: Collection of 3
December 12, 2002

''We can't leave anything alone,'' says Steve Rosati, bassist for acid-jazz trio Collection of 3. ''That's part of the fun. We like to mess it up.''

That philosophy applies to both the originals and standards Co3 plays. A handy example of the latter is the group's version of ''Linus & Lucy,'' the ''Charlie Brown Christmas'' anthem that Co3 contributed to the newly released Bummer Tent Records compilation, ''A Lehigh Valley Christmas 2002.''

Co3 takes the infectious ''Linus & Lucy'' piano groove and funkifies it, while guitarist Kyle Angst's signature wah-wah sound calls to mind the adult voices in Charles Schulz's animated classic.

Co3 was begun by Rosati and Angst at Temple University in 1995. Drummer Alonzo Lister joined two years later. Since then, the band has performed at the Berks County Jazz Festival and is host of Monday Night Open Mike at the Funhouse in Bethlehem. Co3's debut CD still plays on the Music Choices cable channel.

Live, Co3 is known for high-spirited instrumental jams that seem improvised, but actually are built from well-crafted arrangements and organized solos.

''We're more musicianship than image,'' asserts Rosati, who also plays in the fusion-inspired Emergent Evolution. ''We don't do all those rock poses.''


Tony Sienzant
Copyright © 2002, The Morning Call

- the morning call