by Mark Murray
The auditorium filled with parents and jazz fans hushed to a still silence as the program director for Daytona State College music department took the stage at the News-Journal center.
The two musical acts were made up of students from DSC, and other non-collegiate musical members of the community. Two acts were on t he bill, a smaller student combo, and a big band performance.
First up was the DSC student combo, with a little explained history behind each piece. The combo was comprised of a guitar, bass guitar, alto saxophone, trombone, a percussionist, with their professor at the helm on the piano. The bass player was wielding a wooden plank with a bunch of shiny, taught lengths of rope, or at least that is what his monstrous six-stringed bass looked like.
The trombone and sax melted together in a harmonious mixture that soothed listening ears. “He’s been working very hard since he was very young” said the father of one of the student-musicians. The guitar player had lightning hands for the complex, demanding jazz phrasing. The glue of the percussionist held the syncopated beats together. Each musician had their chance to carve out a moment in tone and time with a solo
improvisation, with rounds of applause following.
Next was the big band, which contained all the musicians from the combo and more, taking up nearly the whole stage this time. It was a diverse crowd that bore a sensuous tonal spectrum. The rich sounds were billowing with a sonic breadth that danced on eardrums. Ornate with sonic peppering that lulled the audience into a colorful daydream.
The crescendos came on like the crack of a whip. They sailed through savory seas of timeless tunes by the greats, doing them much justice. It is not a simple task comparing to the likes of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. The kind of discipline required to execute such a task, even among seasoned musicians is akin to skiing a black diamond-level slope.
A few literal “ooh-and-ah” moments evoked cooing sighs of approval as if they were “Dr. Jazz” testing the audience for reflexes. The bass player, brandishing a beautiful fretless bass was responsible for a few of these. One of the absolute standout moments was the big band percussionist’s improvisation. His tasteful, masterful playing conjured emotion that revealed the depth of percussion. The show was a beaming success, and received a standing a ovation.