Soulful notes and spunky beats filled the Lasker auditorium as performers from Tiger Bebop, Jazz Workshop, NNHS Combos, and Jazz Ensemble, gathered together to produce a dazzling performance at Jazz Night, Tuesday April 14.
To begin the night, Tiger Bebop, North’s a capella group, took the stage with a sweet performance of “The Way You Look Tonight,” a playful rendering of “¿Quien Sera?”, and a high-energy production of the classic “Sir Duke.” As they wrapped up their last song, the students presented their conductor, fine and performing arts teacher Olivia de Geofroy, with a bouquet of flowers in celebration of her first year at North.
After Tiger Bebop’s performance, Jazz Workshop followed, giving a traditional and upbeat performance of “Strollin’ With Sammy,” along with an emotive performance of “Stolen Moments” and catchy production of “Red Clay.”
Several combo performances followed, sharing their impressively spontaneous music. Notably, fine and performing arts teacher Richard Labedz and two guest players, trombone player Walt Bostian and trumpet player Christine Fawson, appeared onstage to grace the audience with their music.
According to Labedz, the appearance of guest musicians is a new addition to Jazz Night that allows North musicians to speak with virtuoso performers while also bringing a freshness to the performances.
Sophomore Rebecca Gansner, a member of Tiger Bebop, said, “I enjoyed having Christine come talk to us, and I think others did too. It was helpful to hear from an expert who isn’t rehearsing with us.”
The Jazz Ensemble closed the night with several pieces, including “Satin Doll” and “Isfahan from the Far East Suite,” wrapping up what has been an accomplished year for the music department.
“We’re proud of the progress we’ve made in what we’ve accomplished already this year, and it really helps that we’re all bonded at this point,” Gansner said.
According to Labedz, the Jazz Program and Tiger Bebop practiced three times a week and committed to meeting outside of school hours with their early morning starts. Not only did students work on learning their music, but they also worked on bringing passion and musicality to it by listening to jazz recordings.
Labedz added that because improvisation is a key aspect of Jazz Night, musicians learned the structures of improvising in their music to deliver a stellar performance.
“As we got closer, it was about learning how to perform on stage and really finalize and clean up the pieces,” said Labedz.
