By Megan McCabe, sophomore
The first note blasted into Sebits Auditorium as Friends University’s Lisa Hittle and the Jazz Ensemble took the stage Saturday night with a fast-paced, powerful rendition of “The Way You Look Tonight.” And to Friends senior Laura Kotsch, “It was amazing.”
Friends celebrated its 17th annual Jazz Festival this month. After spending two days listening to more than 800 middle school, high school and junior college musicians, jazz director Hittle and her very talented, very tired 18-person Jazz Ensemble squeezed in their first and only rehearsal with two University of North Texas faculty soloists. That night, they fired back up to blow the audience away.
“It was a great crowd — very responsive,” said Hittle.
Jazz Ensemble trumpeter Jason Whitmore felt positive about the crowd’s response. “The audience was great. It was a good house for the Jazz Concert.”
Hittle’s only disappointment was the attendance.
“I would have ideally liked to have filled every seat,” she said.
The free chairs all put together made several empty rows, but as she said, the crowd that did show enjoyed the performance -- a performance that Whitmore’s positivity extended to.
“The balance between sections was quite good,” he said. “Overall we were a tight unit.”
A modified version of “Home On the Range,” titled “At Home,” kept the audience’s toes tapping. They slowed things down a bit with “How ‘Sweets’ It Is” featuring a trumpet solo by Mike Steinel, North Texas faculty member and experienced musician and composer, and “Skylark,” an entrancing solo performed by saxophonist Brad Leali, also a North Texas faculty member. “Samba De Los Gatos” composed by Mike Steinel and featuring him and Leali grooving to the beat triumphantly ended the first half.
The members of the University of North Texas Faculty Jazz Quintet drew the audience back in with trumpet, saxophone, bass, piano and drum solos that tugged at every musician’s soul.
Hittle could be seen throughout, bobbing her head along to every tune.
“Friends University band played great and the Texas band played great,” she said. “I was very pleased.”
Kotsch, the Friends senior, was pleased with the performance as well.
“It was a wonderful opportunity to have people from the University of North Texas come to Friends to teach,” Kotsch said. “It was nice to hear something professional.”
A standing ovation brought the concert to a close, the last few notes ringing in the air.
Kotsch praised the performance: “I haven’t experienced that kind of jazz in a while.”
Friends students have two more opportunities to experience this kind of jazz this semester. The evening of March 31, Jazz Ensemble II will play in Casado Campus Center and April 7 Jazz Ensemble and the Jazz vocal group will honor seniors with a concert. Break out your calendars—you won’t want to miss these.