BREANNA BRYCE
Special to the Leader
To a college student, the best parts of life are beer, pizza and Friday nights. Though this writer is underage, the patrons of Ellicottville Brewing Co. were able to enjoy all three this past Friday, in a way.
Hailing from Buffalo, The Pizza Trio is a self-described “gypsy jazz” group made up of Sean McNamera and Tyler Westcott, who both play guitar and provide vocals, and Ellen Pieroni on alto saxophone.
The dark and windy night started out with a bluesy feel, with some smooth solos and a laid-back atmosphere that, though commonly found at EBC West, was amplified by the swinging sounds of the band in the window. To bring us all together, Westcott called for a “holler and a squalor” before breaking into their rendition of Django Reinhardt’s “Swing 42.” Even without a rhythm section, The Pizza Trio kept the patrons and I tapping our toes the whole night with their mix of blues, gypsy and old-school jazz. I believe it was best summed up by Samantha, a patron who was willing to speak with me: “Jazz just really makes people happy.”
Luke Wheeler, the host of Open Mic Night at EBC West and the man in charge of booking and running shows, described jazz as “an American thing … We’re gonna do whatever we want, even in our music.”
He went on to say that The Pizza Trio can be heard weekly at Nietzsche’s in Buffalo, “but it’s very cool to have them here, in Fredonia, especially on a night like tonight … we’re all inside, everyone’s warm, we’re having a couple of drinks, and we’re enjoying the music.”
As Wheeler said, “Western New York really is just a music hub,” and with past experiences at events such as Rockin’ The Commons, I could not agree more. The Pizza Trio is yet another shining example of the talent that can be found in and around Buffalo, and just one of many genres that finds its niche here in Western New York.
As Fredonians, we are able to experience many of these groups first-hand, which simply goes to show that not all talent is found in Los Angeles or New York City.
“This region has always just been a very creative, driving force,” Wheeler said. “Bands like this really encapsulate the feeling of … ‘you can be whatever you want to be, and people will welcome it.’”
After their first set, I had a chance to speak with the Trio. Wescott first answered the question on everyone’s minds: what’s up with the name?
“[Our name comes from] our love of pizza,” and their “pizza-sounding last names. Sean McNamera is the marinara of The Pizza Trio, the saucy little tart. Ellen Pieroni is the pepperoni, and I’m … just the cheesy one, singing all the cheesy lyrics.”
Performing gypsy jazz and pre-war blues is not exactly common these days, and with The Pizza Trio’s weekly appearance in Buffalo, I wondered how this Fredonian experience might differ. The Trio enjoyed performing for a “nice, intimate crowd.”
“We’re atmosphere music,” remarked McNamera. “But if people wanna throw a dollar, or wiggle to us, that’s awesome!”
You can find The Pizza Trio every Wednesday night at Nietzsche’s to see for yourself the wonders of Western New York’s creative culture.