The Saint

Story by Laura Kuzmicz, Arts Editor

Last weekend on November 10th, the Aquinas Jazz Band put on their first full performance of the year! We were able to hear lots of unique jazz arrangements and jazz solos this season!

A few of these selections included:

Stompin’ At The Savoy: Written around the time of the Harlem Renaissance, this 1933 piece is an important Jazz Standard that helped shape the genre and influenced many jazz musicians of that era. It is named after the famous Savoy Ballroom located in New York City. The Savoy Ballroom was incredibly famous during the Harlem Renaissance, where black musicians were able to show off their talent and share their love of music, especially jazz. 

Blue Skies: This song, written by Irving Berlin, was composed in 1926 for the musical “Betsy”. It instantly became a smash hit around America and in 1927 it was published so many media outlets could use this song for their projects. It has been featured in films, and late-night talk shows, even Benny Goodman and Ella Fitzgerald recorded their versions which topped the charts! This piece featured Barbara McCargar on vocals as well.

Bèsame Mucho: This Latin Hit was written in 1932 by Consuelo Velázquez. It is considered one of the most important songs in Latin music history and the most recorded and covered song in Spanish. This hit song first appeared in the film “Follow The Boys” and also in the film “The Cowboy And The Senorita”. 

TuTu: This piece was written and performed by the famous musician Miles Davis, and became one of the biggest defining jazz scores of the decade (the 1980s). It’s a piece that relies heavily on string percussion and loud, aggressive brass voices making it an expressive and fiery performance! 

This was truly a wonderful and successful concert put on by the Jazz Band. Be sure to check out the next Aquinas Jazz Band’s performance on December 9th at the annual Christmas concert!