Change happens. Sometimes it is thrusted upon you.When arriving at HUMC, I fully expected to see Jerry Rife in what was to be a new ensemble for TSJS audiences. However, when entering the church where the concert was going to be, I saw Joe Midiri and his brother Paul on stage conversing with Dan Tobias and Pat Mercuri. What gives? Not long afterward, it was brought to my attention that Jerry Rife had taken ill, and Dan Tobias was going to lead the quartet. As fate would have it, the Midiri brothers were in town and available. I would understate the point a little by stating the problem was solved. Whatever Mr. Rife had planned for the afternoon’s festivities is unknown, but with the Blues Skies Quartet, now a quintet, in the form presented on Sunday, I do not know if anyone could have predicted how successful the concert would be. I have written articles and reviews for Tri State since 2002, and probably reviewed the Midiris and Dan Tobias, together or in other ensembles, at least fifty times. When these musicians participate in a concert, the results are never less than good. And Pat Mercuri on guitar on banjo, and Pete Reichlin, making a rare appearance on tuba and, even more rare, electric bass, the cliché “the possibilities are endless” applies.However, I found in situations like where a last-minute change occurs, the Midiris and Tobias are at their best, at their most relaxed, and most adventurous. In particular, the interplay between the horns of Tobias and Joe Midiri stood out at this concert. As one aptly described, the concert audience witnessed “a master class” in musical performance. Some examples of this are on “Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams” where the two horns engaged in an improvised fugue, the Goodmanesque riffs on “I Never Knew,” the slightly bickering one note conversation on “Out of Nowhere” to name a few.And it does not end there…The tunes performed were ones anyone familiar with early Jazz would know. Tunes us reviewers have heard countless times. Yet, Tobias’ quintet created new subtle changes which displayed the tunes in a new light. There was the gentle intro by Tobias on “I’m Confessin’” backed by a soft Mercuri banjo, the slower-than-usual “Poor Butterfly” with Midiri ending on a high, extended B flat, Tobias experimenting with a water glass mute on “Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now.”Pat Mercuri’s performance on guitar and banjo was exceptional. The solo “A Little Love, A Little Kiss,” based on the Eddie Lang recording, his duet with Tobias on “A Nightengale Sang In Berkeley Square was beautiful. However, I walked away from this concert remembering his fiery, driving banjo on “Shine” and “At The Jazz Band Ball.”I concluded last month’s review with a reference from D. Russell Connor, about what makes a great jazz recording. He summarized it was the quality of musicians, and good tunes, and concluding with “it just came out that way.” A change of personnel could have spelled doom in other situations, but in the hands of Danny Tobias and the Midiris, great jazz did come out that way on this February afternoon for TSJS.