Saturday night the sweet sounds of the Barbary Coast Jazz Ensemble with guest artist James Harvey and the H-Mob had the audience in Spaulding Auditorium dancing.
First the Coast played alone, and then James Harvey, the guest artist of the night, joined them to perform his own material. The second half of the show featured Harvey and the H-Mob.
The first tune, Benny Carter's "Vine Street Rumble," revealed the enjoyable, energizing nature of the concert to come. Alan Grubner '98 played an especially impressive jazz violin solo. The Coast moved on to Thad Jones' "Fingers." The title to this song is appropriate, considering the numerous runs up and down scales and fast finger-work by Rob Roses '97 on trumpet, Coast Director Don Glasgo on trombone, Tony Jurado '98 on an amazing soprano saxophone solo, Luis Scheker '95 on piano, Todd Miller '95 on bass and Sean Paley '94 on drums.
Neisha Powells '95 sang vocals on"In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning," known by many from the "Sleepless in Seattle" soundtrack. The Coast did two other numbers by Charles Mingus and Tito Puente, then Harvey joined the group onstage.
The Coast played five of Harvey's compositions as he switched from trombone to the drums and back. Several of Harvey's songs grooved with backgrounds characterized by a driving wave of off-beats, flavoring everything with traces of the Caribbean and Latin America.
Harvey himself played with black gloves on his hands, a backwards baseball hat on his head, and a drink at his feet, occasionally wiping the sweat from his face after a song was over. As audience member Bryan Bergert put it, "It seems like it's more of an athletic event than a concert!" Soloists in the Coast jammed along with Harvey and produced a thoroughly exciting concert.
After intermission Harvey and the talented H-Mob played five songs, all by Harvey, and all featuring interesting forms and breathtakingly beautiful passages. Harvey played piano and trombone. By the end of the concert several people were dancing in the aisles, letting the music take them where it would.
The Barbary Coast and James Harvey and the H-Mob gave a performance to be remembered, full of painfully sweet notes, masterfully handled solos, and a spirit of funky energy that enveloped every member of the audience.
