Attention all jazz-lovers! Jazz has been making a reappearance, and on November 14, Jazz went back to college.
The original event began in the ‘70s and was simply called “Jazz Goes to College.” It was initially held at the Commoner, a student-run pub at Trent, and moved to Robinson Hall at Sadleir House in 1976.
Bringing back tradition, Sadleir House hosted Jazz Goes (Back) to College in the Robinson Dining Hall.
The night began with Professor Michael Morse giving an informative and demonstrative lecture called The Music of Thelonius Monk.
“One of the things about jazz is that it’s kind of magpie music. Though there are composers and most of them are great ones, most repertoires that jazz musicians play is borrowed from somewhere else,” explained Morse.
He talked about how jazz music is about reinventing a song and making it the musician’s own, and that’s what Thelonius Monk does with his compositions.
Next on stage was Standards are a Drag, a four-piece jazz ensemble, with vocalist Esprit Colleen, Rebecca Azzaro on the alto saxophone, Hannah Lawrence on the piano, and Jack McIlraith on drums.
They played a sultry cover of “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone, and an energetic, saucy version of “Minnie the Moocher” by Cab Calloway, where stage presence radiated from Esprit and Rebecca like they were born to perform jazz.
Following them were the In Fallow Players, who provided a healthy dose of experimental jazz with an interesting technique and sounds from percussionist Bennett Bedoukian, a punchy saxophone line from Liam Kennedy, and Charlotte Dempsey on the bass.
Last but not least, Sticky Sweet made our mouths water for Sara Ostrowska and Daniel Collins. They performed two Amy Winehouse covers and a cover of The Squares by their band, Television Rd.
To preface their performance, Collins played some original work on the piano and when Ostrowska hit the stage, she captivated the audience with her powerful singing and sensuous movement.
Although somewhat tame through the night, there was a good audience turnout for the event.
