For those who love a night out on the town to see that local jazz band that can put on a show rather than just perform, The Octave Below is that band. As a three-member band, The Octave actually utilizes five instruments for their performances. John Kimock rocks the drums, Angelo Miraglia holds down pianist duties with a small organ and a keyboard, an finally, Peter Fritz rotates between two basses. So with an arsenal like this, one becomes interested in viewing the group live.The music that the band plays is comparable to a jazzy/funky, rock out instrumental session. It is not the traditional toe tapping, finger snapping jazz that is played, but rather a head-nod jam session. The up-beat tempo of their music is quite danceable- for those who want to hold a partner close and dance the night away and for the b-people who feel the urge to break once the band is in a groove. But even if the people are not grooving with The Octave, the band members tend to rock out themselves.

Peter Fritz seems to be the calmest of the trio. His physical demeanor while he plays either one of his basses oozes out a mature confidence. He rocks with a little sway and head nod as he strums out a solid bass line that creates a meaty backdrop for the drummer and pianist to follow. During his solos, Fritz lets his presence know without overpowering of his accompaniment. In the grand scheme of things, Fritz is the controlled substance that seems to add the mellow undertones of The Octave’s energetic songs.

Getting back to the visual of the band, the mature swagger of the bassist is juxtaposed against his musical cohorts to his left and right, whose movements are likened to rock musicians than jazz. For instance, Angelo Miraglia, animated fingers run rampant along his keyboard and small organ as his body jerks to the music. To a deaf man, the visual of the energy that Miraglia produces is worth the cover. His solos are done beautifully as the left hand play the melody on the keyboard while the right hand kills the organ. Ironically, the word “kills” is used because if one is lucky enough to sit in a position to view this spectacle, he will notice that the organ has been through the trenches. There are keys missing and one stubborn key that almost never come up voluntarily. But Miraglia still plays along as his fingers dance around the gaps like land mines, while the stubborn key never sounds out of play as is sits waiting to be manually lifted by Miraglia. Beyond the visual experience, Miraglia’s sound is funky, soulful and jazzy; one can see, feel and hear why the man is rhythmically convulsing on the keys.

Then there is the most explosive of the trio: the young John Kimock. The drummer seems to be the most energetic of the group as he rocks out and head bangs through every song. His every movement captures the energy of every crackling snare to booming bass drum hit. The crash of the cymbals seems to send a jolt of lighting through Kimock’s body as he prances behind the drum set. Beyond his entertaining stage presence, Kimock also shows his audience that he is a skillful drummer. His hit are clean and on point with the rhythm on the rest of the band members. As an individual, Kimock shines as he plays his solos, display a level of musical maturity by channeling his energy through his playing without seeming overtly wild; in a sense, he is like a controlled explosion that gets the job done. Even during the head of the song and the solos of the other band members, Kimock throws in a couple extra hit to reinforce his rhythmic presence. Kimock proves he is both a musician and a performer.

The excitement that The Octave Below brings to their live show is tremendous. Coupled with the pleaser of hearing original compositions, The Octave is worth the listen and the viewing. This is not to say that the group has mastered the art of performing, but rather they have taken an admirable approach to providing a music audience something more that good sounds. Therefore, they must be commended.

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