On Tuesday Nov. 15, the Longwood Jazz Ensemble performed a medley of songs by great composers of the Jazz era. The Jazz Ensemble B Rhythm section started off the night with "Mr. PC" by John Coltrane, which featured Jay Coward performing a solo on saxophone. They also had solos on guitar, piano, bass and drums. The piece was very upbeat and held a constant rhythm on the drums.
Then, the Jazz Ensemble B played several up beat songs, each of which included solos from trumpets, saxophones, guitars, bass, and piano. The third song had some Latin influences, which allowed the piece to stand out from the others. The last song was the classic "Take the A-Train," which the name was change to "Take the B-Train," due to the fact that the band was the Jazz Ensemble B, as the conductor explained.
After a quick intermission, Jazz Ensemble A took the stage. They started with a lovely upbeat piece, which kept the audience's attention. Octavia Moton sang vocals for the second song, "The Best is Yet to Come." Two upbeat songs, "On Green Dolphin Street" and "Blue Bosa," had some Latin influences, and both had brass solos. Then, the ensemble played "Splanky,"by Count Basie. The song features piano and tenor sax solos. The song following Basie was a Duke Ellington song, "In a Sentimental Mood." The band ended the performance with a military band song, "Thazit."
The performance lasted only about an hour, but it seemed like a lifetime as they transported the audience from Jarman Auditorium to the 1920s, 30s and 40s with swing music and military band music galore. One audience member stated that if he had to re-do the night and was given a choice between going to the basketball game and attending the concert, he'd chose the concert all over again.
