Three o’clock on a Friday afternoon at the end of October, the new college Jazz Ensemble presented its first concert. Our top-floor ‘New York Jazz Club,’ designed and constructed by our kidnapped woodworking students, was appropriately filled to capacity with students, teachers, faculty members and administrators, including the retiring college president sitting in the front row. As in the past, I couldn’t resist adding my flugelhorn and, in this case, modest piano talents to those of the students. Thinking back to those days in 1973, I have no doubt this is what bound us together not only as teacher-student, but as performers in pursuit of musical joy. The Jazz Ensemble kicked it off in style with Betsy singing Gershwin’s ‘Summertime,’ followed by a selection of my original charts composed specifically for the unique instrumentation of this group.
After a 10-minute stage break to catch our collective breath, Bart and Kevin presented the most professional 20-minute set you could have imagined, the audience demanding and receiving several encore numbers. Another 10-minute break led into a series of “band-within-a-band” performances, featuring interesting combinations of players who had rehearsed their own songs especially for this premier performance.
After a 10-minute stage break to catch our collective breath, Bart and Kevin presented the most professional 20-minute set you could have imagined, the audience demanding and receiving several encore numbers. Another 10-minute break led into a series of “band-within-a-band” performances, featuring interesting combinations of players who had rehearsed their own songs especially for this premier performance.
Alas, the Jazz Ensemble reassembled to wrap up the show. Two-hours flew by in what seemed like two-minutes. A rousing standing ovation was eagerly offered and gratefully accepted with bows taken by all the performers, as well as the student woodworkers, ushers, program designers, and ticket collectors. It just doesn’t get any better than this.
After the house lights came up to signal the end of the show, the college president walked over to congratulate me and every student who had participated in one way or another.
“Jeff, you’ve got some amazing talent here,” he said in disbelief. “It’s absolutely incredible what you’ve been able to accomplish in such a short period of time, and all in the first year of a new music program! You should be very proud. There’s only one problem I foresee, though.”
I must admit, that last comment caught me off guard! Luckily, Cornelius quickly smiled and concluded his tease. "What can you possibly do for an encore? This will be a tough act to follow!”
Frank was next in line, his face now beaming with pride, despite our department faculty fiasco a month prior with his harsh warning that our first performance ‘better be good’.
“I knew it was gonna be good, Resnick, but this was way beyond my wildest expectations. It was sure worth it!”
The college dean, who had given me such a hard time over his required 4-day new faculty seminars at Letchworth State Park before the start of the semester, was nowhere to be seen. Not to worry, he wouldn’t take over the college presidency until next September.
When he did . . . well, more on that later!
After the house lights came up to signal the end of the show, the college president walked over to congratulate me and every student who had participated in one way or another.
“Jeff, you’ve got some amazing talent here,” he said in disbelief. “It’s absolutely incredible what you’ve been able to accomplish in such a short period of time, and all in the first year of a new music program! You should be very proud. There’s only one problem I foresee, though.”
I must admit, that last comment caught me off guard! Luckily, Cornelius quickly smiled and concluded his tease. "What can you possibly do for an encore? This will be a tough act to follow!”
Frank was next in line, his face now beaming with pride, despite our department faculty fiasco a month prior with his harsh warning that our first performance ‘better be good’.
“I knew it was gonna be good, Resnick, but this was way beyond my wildest expectations. It was sure worth it!”
The college dean, who had given me such a hard time over his required 4-day new faculty seminars at Letchworth State Park before the start of the semester, was nowhere to be seen. Not to worry, he wouldn’t take over the college presidency until next September.
When he did . . . well, more on that later!
© Jeff Resnick 2018
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