Example Of Music Of Jazz Creative Writing

As it can be attested by many music enthusiasts, the annual jazz festival at Washington State University never disappoints. This year was no different and the event which took place on November 6th was hugely successful and attendants were treated to some exemplary jazz performances from WSU’s very own jazz performers as well some other invited guests.
For a long time, WSU has been recognized for its role in the advancement of jazz music. In fact, the institution has been described by the Jazziz magazine as one of the “best educational institutions for jazz”. WSU’s jazz alumni have earned countless awards and honors at major jazz festivals. The University offers jazz classes that cover a lot of aspects that range from jazz theory, improvisation, jazz arrangement and composition as well as jazz history. It is in fact the jazz department that has catapulted the popularity of WSU’s School of Music.
This year’s event was held in the Bryan Hall and the Kimbrough music building in the university’s main campus. Much had gone into the promotion of the event and as such, it was very well attended. WSU’s School of Music had invited Patrick Sheng, an assistant professor as well as the director of Jazz Studies at McNeese State University in Louisiana as the main guest attraction. Patrick is renowned in the world of jazz and he has shared the stage with other jazz greats such as Wayne Wallace, Kevin Mahogany, Mel Brown, Matt Finders, and Arturo Sandoval amongst others. Many attendants were very eager to be witness his performances and the hall were usually fully packed during his performances.
In addition to Patrick Sheng, the event also featured WSU’s very own jazz ensemble known as “Jazz Northwest” comprised of Dave Hagelhanz and Greg Yasinitsky (saxophones), David Jarvis (drums), Brian Ward (keyboards) and Frederick “Dave” Snider (bass). The was also performances from the faculty members of the WSU Jazz Studies department as well as the WSU Jazz big band.
As mentioned earlier, Paul Sheng was the main performer of the event which also featured the award winning WSU Jazz Big Band directed by Greg Yanitisky. The band performed alongside special guest facility soloist who complemented the unique flow of the instrumentals to great effect. Bill Liston was the first performer of the event as he took the stage the song “Movin’ On” while Greg Yanitisky the Director of the band overwhelmed the crowd with his performance of ‘Park City Express. Paul Sheng did not let his fans down with his performances neither. His performance in collaboration with Greg Yanitisky for hit song ‘Missing You’ was a testimony of his overwhelming talent. He supplemented everything that was lacking in Greg’s performances and the result was amazing.
Other featured songs of the show included Monkey King by Paul Sheng , keep it simple by Paul Sheng What is Hip by the quadruple group of Emilio Castillo, Stephen Kupka ,David Garibaldi and Fredrick “Dave ” Snider. The WSU Jazz Band did not fail the show either as all instrumentalists combined so seamlessly to ensure that the instrumentals rhymed well with the vocals. It was not to be lost of the good work done by facilities coordinator Sandra Albers and Sound director David Bjurt as there were no hitches throughout the event. The sound system was well organized and moderated so that the audience was able to experience the amazing flow of both the vocals and instrumentals.
The reaction of the crowd right from the beginning to the last performance was a demonstration of the liveliness of the whole event. As the last performance was coming to an end, the crowd was still moved and demanding for more. I was particularly moved by Greg Yanitisky’s performance of ‘Movin’ On’ as the instrumentals produced a romantic atmosphere that built up emotions throughout the auditorium. At the end of this performance everyone was completely carries away by the emotional atmosphere created by the vocals and free flowing instrumentals.
Building on this year’s event, I would recommend to any Jazz student or fan to make a date with destiny come any other event of a kind at Washington State University. You will learn a lot while at the same time enjoy the immense talent at display.