Dartmouth may not know what a "zumbye" is, but the acappella group sure knows how to handle an audience. They proved that fact Friday night in concert with the Rockapellas and Dodecaphonics at the annual Spring Sing.
The Rockapellas were first to draw ovations from the sell-out crowd. Jaws dropped lower as notes rose higher in superb renditions of "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" and "You Can't Hurry Love."
The cheers erupted during the first few bars of "Son of a Preacher Man," and the group successfully performed "Yesterday" and "My Lovin'." Between their songs, the Rockapellas performed a skit examining the artistic qualities embodied in a Playboy centerfold.
The Amherst Zumbyes were an instant hit with several impressive tunes. It was the hilarious choreography, however, that ignited the crowd. When the Zumbyes ran on stage with a walking banana as one of their performers, they drew a wave of laughter fromt the crowd.
Aside from their skits, a large part of their program included jazz standards like "Since I Fell For You," "Somebody Loves Me," "Moanin'" and "You Stepped Out of a Dream," songs that resonate with lyrical melodies and inventive harmonies. Their sound was evidence of countless hours of practice, as they were rarely caught off key or rhythm.
"The Way You Make Me Feel" went over extremely well, while "Heard It Through the Grapevine" reinforced the fruit theme. Overall, the Zumbyes presented a balanced line-up of slow and fast songs, interspersed with romantic numbers and a few fun songs. They also performed a skit-for-the-ages in "Pizza Kung-Fu Theater," in which a Mortal Combat-type battle results from a dispute over the last slice of cheese pizza.
The Dodecs, hosts of this year's Spring Sing, matched the Rockapellas and the Zumbyes with a fantastic show. The group had plenty of incentive to do so, as they were recording several songs for the soon to be released album. The Dodecs opened with "Where Are You Tonight?," but their provocative version of "Leather" yielded their biggest success. In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, the Dodecs donned sombreros for a snappy rendition of "La Bamba," and after being called back for an encore, they served up a dramatic finish with "Birdhouse" and "Basket Case." The Green Day hit was the coup de grace of the entire show.
