Jazz concert provides a rewarding break

Every winter at CSC, the musical department finishes the year with a barrage of performances, including this past Tuesday’s tandem guitar ensemble and vocal jazz concert.

Unlike many of  the solstice-time concerts, the performance did not feature Christmas songs, but rather gave listeners a break from Yule tunes with some soul-infused guitar licks and vocal jazz. The guitar ensemble, which performed first, strummed through their songs with such energy and attention that the audience soon joined their enthusiasm. Tom Frear, sophomore of Columbus, soloed in all five songs, and accommodated his fellow musicians with class. Drummer Kaleb Britton, junior of Rapid City, S.D., provided quality rhymes despite only practicing with the group once.

In addition to their jam-fest free-form pieces, the ensemble also performed popular piece’s, like Iron Maiden’s “Powerslave.” Before beginning the piece, Charles Carey, the ensemble’s director, pulled off his bright red sweater to reveal an Iron Maiden T-shirt, prompting the students to do the same. Heavy metal flags flying, the group proceeded, with help from Carey’s own guitar, to finish their performance on a strong note.

Following their cord-ripping compatriots, the Vocal Jazz ensemble took the stage. The nine students swayed and scatted together, bolstering the performance’s atmosphere, in spite of a meager audience. The group showcased their coordination and clear love of music.

A mix of smooth, harmonized pieces and solo performances, Tuesday’s show featured two femme forces, Joelle Keith, junior of Sterling, Colo., and Sarah Hammer, freshman of Lakewood, Colo. Keith’s stage presence, compared to her animated peers, seems reserved, but this only worked to her advantage. There is a power in physical stasis; Keith’s calm comport allowed the audience to focus solely on her remarkable voice. Sonorous and emotional, her solos were well done.

Hammer had perfect pitch, and it showed. Her colorful vocals matched her kaleidoscope jacket and went hand-in-hand with her upbeat solo “Joy Spring,” by Clifford Brown. The song’s lyrics tell, at tongue-tripping speeds, about an interior wellspring of joy, which Hammer certainly channeled.

Although many students look forward to the forthcoming Spring, with its warmer weather and promise of summer, the winters here at CSC are always rewarding, thanks to the music department’s bevy of rewarding concerts.