Applause and cheers for the Jazz Combos ensemble could be heard throughout the Alumni Recital Hall of the Redfern Arts Center on the night of Friday, April 7.
Directed by professor Steve Cady, Jazz Combos featured musical students of Keene State College. The performance consisted of two combos, the 1 p.m. Friday class and the 2 p.m. Friday class, and some pieces were written and arranged by the students themselves.
The 1 p.m. class combo performed five pieces and the 2 p.m. class combo performed six pieces. Not all of the pieces were originally of the jazzstyle. The combos covered bands such as Fleetwood Mac and The Arctic Monkeys.
Audience member and sophomore Cole Heinselman said he enjoyed the Jazz Combos performance. He said his favorite piece was the cover of the Fleetwood Mac song titled “The Chain,” which was the last piece performed by the 1 p.m. class combo. “I really enjoyed it. I really liked the arrangements,” Heinselman said. This was the first musical event that Heinselman attended this semester, and he said he intends on going to more.
Guitarist and sophomore Jakob Heisey said he thought that the entire show went well. Heisey said he enjoys events like these and recommends that more students attend.
“We have been preparing all sorts of things and it wasn’t until recently where we officially decided what we were going to play,” Heisey said. “But given that, I think the entire show went pretty well.”
In between performances, Cady introduced the graduating seniors of the ensemble and then the rest of the musicians in the combos. He expressed his appreciation for the students playing, saying that they were excellent and he could not be happier to be in their company.
“I am passionate about all music and jazz is one way of saying a word that could help govern all genres and disciplines,” Cady said.
Despite being the director, Cady does not give himself the credit for directing the event. “To be honest, I didn’t really do any directing tonight,” Cady said. “All of the directing and the organization and that stuff happens all beforehand. So on a night like this I really have the honor of just enjoying what they do and I get to chime in a little here and there.”
Cady said that more students should come to more musical events like these because “live music gives you something that you do not get from any other experience. And there is a lot of music coming from a stage like that that people have no idea they will love until they see it, and after they see it they want to come back and they will be more enriched and happier people for it.”
Nico Brazill can be contacted at
nbrazill@kscequinox.com
