The Barbary Coast, the College's award-winning jazz ensemble, will honor four graduating seniors in the annual Senior Feature Concert this Green Key Weekend.
Following the usual format, the Coast will begin the concert with the entire ensemble while the second set will feature the seniors: pianist Taurey Butler, alto/soprano saxophonist Matt Giger, vocalist Tanielle McBain and trumpeter Kazu Munakata.
Directed by Don Glasgo, the Coast performs with guest artists in the Fall and Winter terms and features the departing seniors in the Spring term.
Butler, an engineering sciences major from East Orange, N.J., described his experience with the Coast as "positive."
Primarily a soloist, Butler said playing with the Coast taught him "how to play in a big-band," which is considerably more structured and disciplined than a small combo setting.
Butler's style is characterized by a driving right hand with which he voices intricate melodies, buoyed further by consistent chording with the left hand. He will be playing a piece molded in the "hard-bop" style, "Ms. B.C.," a composition by Pamela Watson.
Giger, a geography and physics major from Tuckerton, N.J., will be featured on the alto and soprano saxophones. A reliable and consistent member of the horn section, Giger is at his best playing standards.
McBain, an English major from Decatur, Ga., took over the vocalist spot after Neisha Powells '95 graduated last year. Demonstrating a solid control over the tone and dynamics of jazz vocals, McBain shines in the big band setting while singing standards.
Munakata, an engineering sciences major from Seattle, Wa., has performed with the Coast since his freshman year. Since then, his sound has matured considerably and his breadth of knowledge about the jazz idiom has increased considerably.
Butler and Munakata will continue playing for the Coast next year while they work towards their bachelor degrees in engineering at the Thayer School of Engineering.
