I attended my first Jazz at Wolfson concert yesterday. I was happy to see they are free and open to the public. MDC Jazz Faculty Quintet performed. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Last year it sort of slid beneath my jazz radar. They don't publicize it heavily probably because the auditorium is nearly filled just sticking a placard on the side of a pillar in the main building.
The final piece in the set proved once again my contention that skilled jazz musicians can take any melody, Mary Had A Little Lamb for example, and make it sound great. For juxtaposition the pianist played straight a few bars of 'Tis So Sweat to Trust in Jesus. Then the quintet went to work with the guitarist and department head's arrangement. It kicked ass as they say.
I look forward to upcoming concerts. They are usually held Wednesday at noon around the middle of the month. Makes it easy to sneak in for 75 or 80 minutes of audio escape. No fuss at the entrance. They ask you to sign in and if you are a student/visitor etc.. A Program and Survey are provided and you sit where you wish.
Several of the quintet members have albums published and they contributed most of the compositions. Good stuff.
The final piece in the set proved once again my contention that skilled jazz musicians can take any melody, Mary Had A Little Lamb for example, and make it sound great. For juxtaposition the pianist played straight a few bars of 'Tis So Sweat to Trust in Jesus. Then the quintet went to work with the guitarist and department head's arrangement. It kicked ass as they say.
I look forward to upcoming concerts. They are usually held Wednesday at noon around the middle of the month. Makes it easy to sneak in for 75 or 80 minutes of audio escape. No fuss at the entrance. They ask you to sign in and if you are a student/visitor etc.. A Program and Survey are provided and you sit where you wish.
Several of the quintet members have albums published and they contributed most of the compositions. Good stuff.
