Getting It Right On The First Take With ‘Saxman’ Rick Metz
Photo by Sam Ray-Johnson.
If you’re looking for great jazz in Reno, Rick Metz is your guy.
With a long musical resume including Otis Day & The Knights, The Temptations and even Johnny Cash, he’s a man who carries many stories. Born in Brooklyn, New York and learned in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Metz has been everywhere, knows everyone and could school you in jazz until the sun comes up. When he plays with his masterful band, First Take, he likes to give a brief history of each song before they perform, inserting a pun whenever he can. His charisma is a joy to be around, but his music is more so.
Watching Metz and his band play is a privilege to say the least. I’ve heard some good jazz in my day, but nothing comes close to First Take. They won the Forte (Fans Of Reno Tahoe Entertainers) Award for Best Jazz Group in 2016 and 2017, with Metz winning Best Jazz Instrumentalist in 2017 — and it’s clear why. As he puts it, jazz is an “improvisational sport,” a freestyle poetry of music that takes incredible skill to do. When you listen to First Take, you can hear the years of practice, the decades of experience in every note. Metz and his keyboardist, Jimmy Vermilion, will frequently flow in and out of solos, precisely complementing each other. It’s the harmonious river of sound that makes jazz what it is and they do it damn well.
“There’s no control here,” Metz told me. “It’s the freedom to be able to play whatever comes into your head at any point, and be able to make music on the fly.”
It’s not hard to see how passionate Metz is about music, especially when it comes to the saxophone. He could tell you about the history of the instrument back to the very beginning — the 1860s. His own saxophone comes with a story: it’s a Selmer Modele 22 Tenor saxophone, the oldest complete Selmer Tenor sax believed to be in existence, and there’s only one other from that year known to still be around. Combined with Metz’ expertise, the quality is something even I as an amateur could hear.
“Jazz is the sound of a generation, it’s the sound of the Greatest Generation,” Metz said. “That sound will stick with us because that sound and that music continues to come back in movies, in commercials, on TV, you hear this music everywhere.”
Metz says jazz is a true American art form, born and bred in the United States. He’s proud to be able to bring it to the public and educate others on the genre that’s endured for over a 100 years. He says he and his band are ambassadors for jazz, and are honored to give people the opportunity to be exposed to it and understand the tale behind each track. While they have a set list that never gets old to listen to, they do take requests at every show. I requested they play ‘Nature Boy,’ by the classic Nat King Cole, and it was the best cover I’ve heard so far.
“I want to make sure that everything that I’ve heard that’s influenced me, is passed on to everybody else and they have the opportunity to hear it,” Metz said. “Maybe it’ll influence them as well.”
Moving forward through the pandemic and as places begin to reopen with social distancing protocols, Metz wants to encourage his fans to enjoy what they’ve always loved: music, drink and good company.
“We’re here to make your life more fun, we want you to enjoy our music, but we also want you to stay safe,” Metz said. “Come out and enjoy, be safe, be well.”
To try and catch their next performance, visit this link here.
To follow them on social media, join their Facebook Group here.
