The following story is reported and written by Columbia High School student Gwyneth Brown.
Columbia High School was filled once again with the smooth music of the Jazz Ensemble on February 24, 2022.
Taking place in the CHS cafeteria and online, the concert was not one to miss. The Jazz Ensemble is a group of 28 talented musicians playing instruments that are part of either the rhythm or horn section.
The concert began with “Four.” This piece was written by the highly esteemed musician Miles Davis in 1954, though the ensemble used the arrangement by John Berry.
Following were pieces including “Yardbird Suite,” written by Charlie Parker (arr. Michael Sweeney), and “Keys to the Heart” by Larry Neeck.
The energy of pieces such as “Jumpin’ at the Woodside” by Count Basie (arr. Paul Cook) and “Choo Choo Ch’ Boogie” by Vaughan Horton, Denver Darling, and Milton Gabler (arr. Michael Sweeney) made one feel like getting up and dancing.
Between each piece, ensemble director Peter F. Bauer engaged the audience in humor. “There isn’t a guy named Mongo who isn’t fun,” Bauer claims, receiving many laughs, when discussing the piece “Afro Blue” written by Mongo Santamaria (arr. Michael Sweeney).
“I try to touch as many bases as I can,” Bauer explains when asked about the process of music selection for the concert.
This variety was evident in fun and unexpected pieces such as the latin tune “Oyeme” by Carl Strommen.
While all of the selected pieces were great, it’s impossible to overlook the musicians that brought them to life. Each piece had one to four featured musicians who performed unique solo parts.
Sally Shupe featured in the piece “Stompin’ at the Savoy” composed by Benny Goodman (arr. Michael Sweeney) on the guitar. Similarly, Sam Dorbin and Katie Kampner featured in the piece “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” composed by Duke Ellington (arr. Paul Cook) on the saxophone and trumpet, respectively.
Other remarkable soloists included Arushi Vadlamani on piano, Emily Donoghue on trumpet, Jessi Holdbrook on saxophone, Sophia Franklin on percussion, Molly Hurley on trombone, Sheila Holtschneider on guitar, Marley Striem on bass, and Isabel Morgan on saxophone.
The final pieces of the concert included “How High the Moon” composed by Nancy Hamilton and Morgan Lewis (arr. Michael Sweeney) and “Birdland” composed by Josef Zawinul (arr. Michael Sweeney.)
Overall, the Jazz Ensemble Concert was a great celebration of the music genre and a demonstration of the high caliber musical talent at CHS.
