The Journal

Issue date: 2/20/03 Section: Culture

Media Credit: Lee Kuehner Bill Elrod takes a breather during a concert Feb. 17 in the Winifred Moore Auditorium. Elrod is part of the six-man group that played that night.

A crowd of about 30 gathered to hear the bluesy-jazz rhythms of Webster bass and jazz instructor Jay Hungerford and Friends Feb. 17 in the Moore Auditorium at 7 p.m.

The performers included Webster University adjunct faculty member Jay Hungerford on bass, and May 2000 Webster graduate Charlie Peterson on keyboards. Other members of the group are Bill Elrod on reeds and Mark Miller on drums.

Jay Hungerford and Friends is the house band of the Grace Church-St. Louis in Maryland Heights.

"Our influences are other jazz, funk, and contemporary Christian music bands," Hungerford said.

The band plays re-orchestrated hymns laced with jazz and funk undertones during services on Saturdays and Sundays, usually with only an hour's practice beforehand. For the particular set they played Monday night, they had only rehearsed once before.

"These guys are the best in town," Peterson said. "Gary (Fiorino) is amazing, and he only plays at church. It's an exhilarating experience just to work with them. There's a lot of synergy with this group, and that makes for the best music--being comfortable and confident."

Peterson said he was a member of Grace Church for quite awhile before drumming up the courage to audition for the group.

Peterson was also a little apprehensive to resurface at Webster in a performance role.

"My former professor Paul DeMarinis was out there, so I was more than a little nervous," Peterson said.

DeMarinis said that Peterson had nothing to worry about.

"They were excellent," DeMarinis said. "I especially enjoyed that everything was so carefully arranged. Jay (Hungerford) did a great job reharmonizing familiar material and also on a few pieces new to me."

DeMarinis added that the music displayed a great variety of color, enhanced by the combinations of instruments used (Peterson's two keyboards, Elrod's three types of saxophones, and Hungerford's use of both electric and acoustic bass) and a very high level of instrumental proficiency.

Senior public relations major Kottia Fields was one of the few students in attendance.

"They had a nice contemporary feel, but enough traditional elements to make it an overall good performance," Fields said.

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