The calm, blue lights on the stage of the Robert-Dubbs Auditorium shifted to a cheerful orange as the 13 members of the jazz band entered. They were surrounded onstage by an array of small tables and chairs, seating an excited audience. The house seats lay empty as listeners amicably joined the musicians for a performance that encompassed a whirlwind variety of tones and paces.
The jazz band held their annual spring concert on Thursday, April 4 and Friday, April 5. The band played 10 songs altogether including three small group numbers and seven ensemble pieces.
The jazz band did not limit itself to any one genre of music. Songs covered included junior Sam Friedman’s powerful arrangement of “Wake Up” by indie rock ensemble Arcade Fire, and a cover of “Roses” by rapper Mos Def featuring Georgia Anne Muldrow that captured a nostalgic tone.
In “Wake Up,” junior Eliana von Krusenstiern’s notes on the violin, flowing throughout the whole piece, sounded quieter in comparison to the other instruments but added an additional layer of yearning emotion to the consistent, uplifting sounds of slow and rhythmic drum beats and melodic saxophones.
“Roses” embodied a similar unity between instruments, sharing a melody that shifted from pensive and mournful to cheerily reminiscent and back again. The final shift back to a melancholy calm felt like an awakening from a happy, faraway dream.
Although the original rap version is not a jazz piece, the song itself lends itself to jazz with its vibrancy and shifts. The stretching, peaceful notes of the beginning and end in contrast with the lighthearted middle ones created a tone that felt bittersweet, with an emphasis on ‘sweet.’ The cover captured the tone of Muldrow’s original lyrics, “I imagined happiness, and it ran right to me, such amazing beauty.”
In addition to its harmonious combinations of the saxophones, violin, guitars, bass, piano and drums, the concert as a whole was marked by contrasts such as those of “Roses.”
Senior August Ramos, junior Micah Katz-Zeiger, senior Ben Fletcher and von Krusenstiern performed “Focus,” by jazz guitarist and composer Bill Frisell, a subdued piece with a melody at turns sharp, swooping, and airy—reminiscent of the now-fleeting winter.
The next song performed was “Blue Rondo a La Turk” by jazz pianist Dave Brubeck which started fast and maintained its frantic tone. The deep bass of Ramos and Friedman lent urgency to the swift, piercing melody. The intense piece, the tone of which relaxed only during its lighter solos, was a sharp contrast to the calmer piece that preceded it. The varied pieces held the audience’s attention throughout the evening.
The last song the band performed was an arrangement of David Bowie’s “Sons of the Silent Age.” Katz-Zeiger introduced the number by explaining that the entire group worked on the arrangement, an experience he described as “an adventure” that could be considered either “educational or hellish,” earning mirthful chuckles from the audience and knowing laughs from band members.
The piece, originally a dramatic rock song, was an equally epic culmination of the feelings and sounds of previous pieces, capturing multiple tones, both optimistic and sorrowful, in a short span of a few minutes.
The visible intensity the members of the band shared completely engaged the senses in a moment of pure music.
The band played with focus and emotion throughout the entire evening, and this song was among the most awe-inspiring. The jazz band provided a cathartic, refreshing experience through the variety of songs in its repertoire and the conviction evident in their delivery.
Kate Finnerty can be contacted at [email protected]
