‘The edge of chaos’

    The GCSU Jazz Band was sizzlin’ in Russell Auditorium on Thursday , Nov. 2 and Friday, Nov. 3. It was the first performance since visiting the Czech Republic in May and the band was eager to please the near capacity crowds that turned out each of the nights.
    The Jazz Band kicked off their set with a running and raucous number aptly named “Spanish Fire.” The driving beats and brass set the mood for the rest of the night. Throughout the night, the band progressed from jazz, to blues, and even funk (going so far as to finish with a song made famous by legendary 70s funk band Earth, Wind, and Fire).
    A funky baritone saxophone solo performed by freshman TJ Brown to begin the song called “Moanin’” excited cheers and jeers from the crowd. The whole band each joined in with a separate sound and rhythm in what Dr. Bob Wilson described as “the edge of chaos.”
    Four of the performed songs required a female lead and a couple of choral students graciously and stupendously answered the call. The ladies were Laura Dees, a junior music major and Sydney Cash, a senior music major. They sang songs ranging from solemn show tunes to upbeat jazz songs.
    One of the most impressive solo performances of the night came from senior political science major Daniel Seibel on the tenor saxophone. For the song “My One and Only Love,” Seibel took his place of the front of the stage and in the spotlight. In a tender moment, Wilson announced to the crowd that Seibel was dedicating the song to his mother.
    “I don’t get to see Mom and Dad very often,” Seibel said, “and since it was going to be my last actual concert, I wanted to show some love and give them a shout out.”
    When Daniel Seibel graduated high school he considered himself just an “ok” saxophone player and didn’t think too much about joining the GCSU Jazz Band. Upon discovering that the band had no tenor saxophone players his freshman year, he joined up and has become a sort of Cinderella story.
    “If I was a freshman now, I probably wouldn’t even be good enough to make it,” Seibel said. “It seems that God just really wanted me to keep playing the sax.”
    The two minute saxophone solo was one of the highlights of the evening, although the impressiveness and abilities of the other musicians should not be understated. The song “Backrow Politics” featured an impressive trumpet quintet and tenor saxophonist Kyle Christmas had some impressive solos of his own. All the while the band was driven by Monique Williams, a senior music major on drums and Heather Appleby, a sophomore Spanish major, on piano.
    The night began with a small set stupendously presented by the Two O’clock Jazz Band. Tunes such as “Kansas City” and “One More for the Count” set the mood for a swinging and rocking night of classics. The Two O’clock Jazz Band ended with a Duke Ellington song called “It Don’t Mean a Thing” while being accompanied by a quartet of choral students, appropriately named “The Ellingtons.”
“Dr. Shiver just kind of recruited us through Sydney,” said Travis Smith, a senior music major and singer in the quartet.
    It didn’t take much more than some practice with a CD of the band for the quartet to be ready, but a CD isn’t quite the best replication of the real thing.
    “The band is a lot louder than the CD,” Smith said, “especially when you are standing right in front of them.” But everything seemed to work out, as the song adamantly closed out a strong set by the Two O’clock Band.
    The Jazz Band’s next performance will be at the end of November for their holiday concert.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Nov 9 2007. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry