The Journal

Issue date: 8/30/07 Section: Lifestyle

Media Credit: Max Gersh Randall Holmes plays his trumpet in the Webster University Jazz Faculty show "1959: It Was a Very Good Year" Aug. 27 in the Winifred Moore Auditorium.

Although not many students are able to recall the '50s, 1959 was a very good year, according to the Webster University Faculty Jazz Ensemble. The ensemble's first performance of the season was able to enlighten some and jog the memories of others.

"I've been a jazz fan since the mid-'40s," said audience member Bill Jennings, a former professional baseball player for the St. Louis Browns. "That's my music."

Held Aug. 27 in the Winifred Moore Auditorium, "1959: It Was a Very Good Year" attracted an audience of approximately 100 and celebrated that year's contribution to jazz in terms of recorded music, said ensemble director Paul DeMarinis, who also plays alto and tenor sax in the ensemble and directs the jazz studies program at Webster.

"I thought about years like 1927; I thought about 1945," DeMarinis said. "'59 seemed to come in first place. 1959 showed more significant recordings of jazz trends than perhaps any other year in jazz history."

Senior Hannah McDonald, a jazz vocal performance major and student of DeMarinis, agreed.

"1959 is one of the best years for jazz music as far as records released and songs written," she said.

The nine-song concert kicked off with Miles Davis' "So What" from the album "Kind of Blue." The tune inspired many audience members to bob their heads, tap their fingers and toes, and rock back and forth in their chairs to the beat.

McDonald said "So What" was her favorite number from the concert.

"'Kind of Blue' is such a monumental recording, and the (performers) did such a great job with it," she said.

The ensemble played two more upbeat songs, Bobby Timmons' "Dis' Here" and John Coltrane's "Giant Steps," before slowing it down with "When I Fall in Love," famous for pianist Bill Evans' harmony and melodic improvisation. The ballad featured music professors Willem von Hombracht on bass, Kevin Gianino on drums and Kim Portnoy on piano.

Audience member Bob Pelc, a deejay for jazz radio station WSIE (88.7 FM), said "When I Fall in Love" was his favorite piece of the night.

Continued...

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