Celebrating 20 Years of UVA’s Favorite Jazz Group

It starts slowly, with the tinkle of a few piano keys, the strum of the bass, the first cry of the trumpet.

Within seconds though, a rich riot of sound pours forth, as the five University of Virginia faculty members in the Free Bridge Quintet launch into the lively jazz that has made the band a local institution.

It seems effortless, and perhaps it should; they have had 20 years to practice. The five members – saxophonist Jeff Decker, drummer Robert Jospé, bassist Peter Spaar, trumpeter John D’earth and pianist Butch Taylor – are celebrating their 20th anniversary this fall with a concert, 20 Years of Jazz at UVA, on Saturday.

In the two decades they have been playing together, the quintet has become a prominent part of not only the UVA community, but also the Charlottesville and Central Virginia jazz scene. They are renowned for their tributes to famed jazz musicians like Duke Ellington Thelonius Monk and Charlie Parker, and for their own original music.

We joined one of their rehearsals as they prepared for the upcoming show. Take a look.

From left to right, Jeff Decker, Peter Spaar, Robert Jospé, Butch Taylor and John D’earth.

Gary Funston, a board member of the Charlottesville Jazz Society, said the quintet and its members were “individually and collectively ingrained into the fabric of the Charlottesville music community.”

“It seems as if the Free Bridge Quintet has been here forever, not just a mere 20 years,” Funston said. “Their numerous concerts in Old Cabell Hall, including collaborations with both local and nationally known musicians, have provided many highlights for jazz fans in our area. I’m looking forward to the next 20.”