The Southeastern Jazz Ensemble I featured a variety of talented young music students in a recent performance of nine classic jazz tunes that took the audience back in time to the 1950s.
The concert was presentedin Pottle Music Building Auditorium on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. and was directed by Glen J. Hemberger.
The audience was pleased with the night’s performance, which was apparent from the thunderous applause that followed each solo and again at the end of each song. The student musicians were all pleased with their recital after having put hours of effort into preparing for it.
“Everybody worked really hard the whole semester,” said Anthony Burkett, a sophomore from Loranger who is majoring in music education. “We started playing these charts in late August, so we’ve come a long way.”
Many of the students performed solos during each of the recital’s pieces. David Gambino, a senior from Covington who is majoring in music education, was one of several students with the honor of performing a solo.
“Definitely lots of hours of practice, especially practice with the [saxophone] section, not just by myself,” said Gambino. “In a concert, there’s a lot of parts where the whole sax sections works together. You have to play your part by yourself, but you have to play with others too because if you can play your part, that’s great, but if you can’t blend with the rest of the section, then there’s no point.”
Jonathan Lyons, a junior from Ponchatoula who is majoring in music education, played saxophone solos in several of the numbers, including “Nutville” and “Waltz for Debby.”
“I practiced about 19 hours a week playing saxophone,” said Lyons regarding preparing for the concert.
Lyons was recognized by the director between compositions for helping to conduct practices when needed.
“It’s a lot of time, but it’s worth it when you get to play in front of people,” said Lyons. “I feel like my hard work paid off, and I put on a good performance tonight. The whole band did.”
Of the 22 student performers, many are seniors, a few of whom played for their last time with Jazz Ensemble I that night.
“It’s fantastic,” said Gambino, who will be going on to student teach next semester. “My real passion with music is to teach music, so now I get to make that step and be one step closer to finally becoming a teacher. I’m going to miss performing in Jazz I and at Southeastern, but it’s not my final show. It’s my final show in Jazz I, but I’ll still be playing. This is not the end for me.”
Although some student members will be moving on to greener pastures, Jazz Ensemble I will continue working together to bring Southeastern more classic jazz tunes. Next semester, Jazz Ensemble I will perform another concert on Thursday, April 18, 2013, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pottle Music Building, featuring guest artist and famed jazz trumpeter Graham Breedlove.