Friday, November 16, 2007

Reading Blue Like Jazz at a Jazz Gig

i didn’t have any plans for friday night until brent - fellow californian, drummer, and calvin student - invited me to see his drum teacher play at schuler’s books & music.  his drum teacher, fred knapp, is part of a jazz trio, and the show was celebrating the release of their new CD.  so i got ready for the concert, and brought a suitable textbook to read.  since my capstone communications class (CAS399) is reading blue like jazz, i thought it’d be a fitting book for a jazz concert.

brent was with his girlfriend tiffany and her friend ashley when he picked me up, so the group of us headed out to schuler’s.  i’d never been there before, so i didn’t know what to expect.  i was surprised at how big the place was, and i quickly realized why calvin students liked to study there.  there was a pretty big coffee shop with all sorts of hot and cold drinks, snacks, and treats.  there were obviously lots of books, and a considerable music section packed with CDs.  i didn’t spend too much time browsing around the store because we headed straight for the stage.

by the CD section there was an open room with a small corner stage and some seating.  some speakers were setup, and the room was filled with adults and retirees.  my group was probably the youngest there by far, which surprised me.  i thought younger folks liked jazz too!  the trio was already playing when we got there, with an upright piano, upright bass, and drumset.  some percussion was setup nearby, and two brass players would step up during their parts.  near the end of the concert, the trio invited two professional percussion players up to jam for a few songs, and there was a 5 minute percussion solo between the two percussionists and the drummer.  that was probably the highlight of the evening for brent and i.  the group was extremely talented, covering genres from jazz to samba, and the crowd was very supportive, giving them a standing ovation at the end of their set.  i’d say it was an evening well spent, although i only read a few pages from my book.

Posted by Nehe555 on 11/16 at 11:51 AM
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