All That Jazz

Ok, you have heard the jr. high beginning band. You have heard the jr. high concert band. And you have heard the high school symphonic band. I told you about Mr. Mott, the jr. high band director. Now let me tell you about Mr. Burgoyne, the high school band director. He spends an awful lot of his time at the school doing all thing band- 7 periods of band during the day, marching band all summer and then after school during the months of Sept and Oct. The man eats, sleeps and drinks band. Then as if that were not enough, three days a week he gets to school 1-2 hours early (think 6 am ladies and gents) to hold a jazz band class. So of course the student's are there by 7 am and work, work, work. Prepare yourselves to be wowed, amazed, to stand in awe here. I know I always do.

I am going to post 2 videos of the Jazz band concert. Matt doesn't like to play solos, so he doesn't take the spotlight in any of these, except that he is behind the soloists so you get to enjoy him enjoying the music.

While I have the program for this concert, the songs were just listed and they played them in a random order, so Matt will have to tell us which song this is. Matt?

Ok, if you have to choose only one video on this week long video postings, choose this next one. There is a soloist that just blows me away each and every time I hear him. He is the saxaphone soloist. He graduated last year and spent this past year playing at BYU with their Jazz band ensemble, Synthesis. He composes his own music. He came back to play a couple of songs with the jazz band for old time's sake. At the year end jazz concert last year I did not video tape the songs he soloed in because was not playing in them. Stupidest thing I ever did- He played a couple that he wrote and in one of them he played two different saxaphones. At the same time. THE SAME TIME. Remember this name- Ben Nichols. Believe me, you will hear it again in the future. He just got his mission call, so it will be 2 years, but you will hear his name again. Remember you saw him here first.

I was running out of tape, so there is only part of this song, but it was my all time favorite at the concert. And, I do know the name of this song:

Sing Sang Sung