Concert Review

I attended the DVC Jazz Ensemble benefit concert on Wednesday, November 30. It was held in the performing act center on campus which is a very nice place to see a concert. If featured the jazz ensemble and the vocal jazz ensemble, and the Voce Velluto and the Sharp Eleven. There were two special guests artist from the DVC faculty who were vocalist, Clairdee and saxophonist, Mary Fettig. It was a raining evening but it was still a great evening because of the great music. There were a few songs that really caught my ear and I will talk about them now.

The first song that I am going to talk about is called It Don't Mean a Thing, written by Duke Ellington and arranged by Anders Edenroth. I really enjoyed listening to the song being performed by the six singers. The different pitches of their voice made the song really come to life. The song was also performed with Joy Stewart on the piano, Ruthie Price on the drums, and Marvin Ibe on the bass. Joy Stewart is a very talented pianist and in my eyes stood out amongst the rest. I really like how the song came together with the vocalist and the musicians in harmony.

The next song that I found to be very entertaining was performed by the jazz ensemble and directed by Glenn Appell. The song was titled Ko-Ko and featured Amber McCurry who was on the trumpet. I really enjoyed listening to this song because I had also heard the song before in class. It's a real catchy tune with a great melody and I really liked the horn section in this song. Amber McCurry showcased her talent on trumpet by using mutes very effectively. The piece had great direction and was played beautifully.

The final song that I will be talking about is called Nice Work if You Can Get It, written by George and Ira Gershwin, and arranged by Rick Walsh. The jazz ensemble performed the song with the special guest artists, Mary Fettig and Clairdee. The guest artists played and sang outstanding with the jazz