A&E

Symphonic Band Festival rocks the house with blues

By Kelsi McKenzie

The auditorium was filled with a different vibe Wednesday night when the Jazz Night Concert got underway.
Three combo groups rocked the house and two jazz bands showed off their stuff. Before you even got to the auditorium, the jazz music was raising the roof. The first combo band, made up of students who put their own pieces and performances together, was in the lobby keeping people entertained until the show started at 7:30.

Once people started heading into the auditorium another combo group took the stage and were very professional. For an amateur student group they got up, introduced themselves and impressed the audience.

The Clearance Rack combo group was very impressive. The players were switching instruments mid-song and the continuous change in tempo kept the audience on their toes. The Clearance Rack never wrote any of their music down and told the audience that as they thought of the music, they simply memorized it. It was very impressive to see the complexity of their music and not see any music sheets.

Next came the Jazz Band 2, and they were equally amazing. There were a lot of solos and the audience clapped like crazy after each one. The music they played was uplifting and had a traditional fun jazz feel about it. They ended the show with a tenor sax battle. Two of the tenor saxophone players were playing back and forth to each other like a battle, to a song accurately titled, “The Heat Song.”

Next on the stage was a non-introduced combo group performing the world premier of “Road to Uncertainty” by one of the band members. That piece was literally a road to uncertainty; it was like a musical chase with a very mysterious beginning. The tempo picked up quick and they had fun performing.

Most impressive about this piece was the slow and subtle fade at the end of the song. Even though they had very loud instruments, they did a wonderful fade away.

The group then played a song called “Penology” written by the piano player. It was a wonderful, fast piece that got the band working their fingers to the bone. They didn’t get any breaks as each member was constantly playing hard. The audience could feel the band’s love for the music in their aggressive playing. They were kicking and stomping their feet, dancing with their instruments.

Last on the program was the Jazz Band 1, and they couldn’t have done any better. They started with Sam Solano playing the part of Frank Sinatra in a Sinatra-like tune called “Where or When.” Solano, as well as the rest of the Jazz Band 1, were playing like BAM BAM BAM! It was a very impressive performance.

Next they played a show-off piece called “The Second Race”, where almost all of the members got solos and got their time to show off their skills. They finished the program with a different type of piece. The band went to Taiwan to perform at their Lantern Festival had really put on a show, so director Susie Jones threw it in at the end of the Wednesday concert.