Andre Hayward at the Skylark Lounge with the late Margaret Wright’s piano (Photo by David Brendan Hall)
Standing onstage with saxophonist Elias Haslanger s local quintet, Andre Hayward preps for his moment. As the two men finish a harmonized riff on the bandleader s Smiley s Stairs, Hayward lifts his bell to the microphone to take the first solo. The trombonist sticks close to the melody at first, adding slight variations, before scattering flurries of notes that belie their creator s relaxed state.
At the point it all threatens to veer too far outside, Hayward brings it back home, gracefully recasting the melody and setting up Haslanger s own break. Though there s no live audience, Hayward earns enthusiastic applause from his bandmates.