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Hard bop returns to the Englert

By Cole Cheney

Hard bop, or “the greatest era in jazz,” according to Saul Lubaroff, is making another comeback in Iowa City 60 years after its conception.

Emphasizing Blue Note Records legends such as Art Blakey, Hank Mobley and Lou Donaldson, Lubaroff and his quintet of Iowa City talent will perform progressive jazz numbers at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Englert Theatre, 221 E Washington St.

Tickets are $10 and available at the box office, online, or by calling (319) 688-2653.

“The Englert is an Iowa City treasure,” says Lubaroff, saxophonist for the Saul Lubaroff Quintet. “I’ve really come full circle since I first saw ‘Star Wars’ there at age 12.”

Lubaroff is a 20-year veteran of Iowa City venues and musical traditions, having played with the bands Johnson County Landmark, Shade of Blue and Grooveship. His latest venture is unique in its exclusive use of an acoustic piano, an accommodation that, unlike other venues, the Englert can provide.

“Acoustic pianos are somewhat rare in performances today,” Lubaroff says. “But that is part of what makes hard bop unique.”

Piano aside, Lubaroff himself is renowned for saxophone skills that allow him to cover jazz greats such as the Jazz Messengers and John Coltrane. He will perform Friday with local musicians Scott Barnum, Joseph McKinley, Brett Messenger and Matt Bernemann.

“Of all my inspirations, I think Coltrane is untouchable,” Lubaroff says. “If I can just play a few cool notes over his compositions on Friday, I’ll be happy.”