SANTA ROSA JUNIOR COLLEGE

THIS WEEKEND I ATTENDED A UNIQUE JAZZ CONCERT AT THE JUNIOR COLLEGE/ THEY HAD TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT BANDS PLAYING BIG BAND MUSIC FROM THE 50'S TO 70'S. THE DAYTIME JAZZ ENSEMBLE HAD ABOUT 16 MEMBERS, SOME OF WHOM WERE MUSIC STUDENTS AT THE J C. THEY HAD MANY SAXOPHONES, 4 SLIDING TROMBONES, A DRUMMER, A PIANISTS, AND AN ELECTRIC BASS PLAYER. I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH ANY OF THE TUNES. HOWEVER THEY FLOWED WELL. THEIR LAST SONG 'RIPTIDE' BY JEFF JARVIS WAS THE BEST AND SEEMED TO WORK VERY WELL AND WAS A LIVELY TUNE REPRESENTING THE CURRENTS OF NATURE.

THE NEXT EVENING JAZZ ENSEMBLE WAS A PROFESSIONAL GROUP WITH ABOUT THE SAME NUMBER OF MEMBERS. THERE GROUP HAD PLAYED TOGETHER FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. THEY HAD A YOUNG PIANIST, FOUR TROMBONES, A DRUMMER, A LARGE BASS, KEYBOARD PLAYER, AN ELECTRIC GUITAR PLAYER, FIVE SAX PLAYERS, AND SEVERAL FLUTISTS. THEIR TUNES WERE LOUDER AND MORE COORDINATED AND THEY SEEMED TO HAVE MORE FEELING IN THEIR MUSIC. THEY PLAYED A TUNE THAT STEVE ALLEN WROTE AND THE CONDUCTOR MENTIONED THAT HE WROTE A HUGE AMOUNT OF SONGS, SOMETHING LIKE 800 SONGS! EVERYONE ENJOYED THIS GROUP AND ASKED FOR AN ENCORE. THEY HAD A TUNE READY AND IT MADE FOR A FUN EVENING.