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Last Friday night, CdM’s very own took center stage in the Black Box theater for the annual Jazz Cafe. Hosted by CdM Jazz Band, the event featured student musicians from all walks of life, bringing middle schooler newbies and seniors on the cusp of graduation together to appreciate art in its rawest form. Senior and pianist Jacob Nguyen summarizes Jazz Cafe nicely: “[It] is an event for…creatives…to showcase their work.” In particular, he appreciated it being in the Black Box. “The Black Box is so dim,” he explained. “It [mimics the] Jazz Club [setting] without the age limit or the cover charge…. It just feels…much more intimate.”
Between acts, CdM Jazz Band paid homage to the greats in their renditions of Oliver Nelson, Count Basie, and Herbie Hancock. When asked which jazz musician had her heart, senior Dilnar Yu answered almost immediately: “Ella Fitzgerald.” With similar enthusiasm, Nguyen gave contemporary jazz musician Emmet Cohen the “favorite” title.
But don’t worry, you don’t need to be John Coltrane to snag a spot on the setlist. Despite its name, Jazz Cafe isn’t exclusive to just jazz. This year’s performance featured pieces from Taylor Swift, A Great Big World, and Hans Zimmer. As Nguyen and Yu explained, the objective of the event isn’t to flex your jazz muscles but rather to enjoy the art produced by fellow students.
Post-performance, Yu called the performance quite the success. Still fairly new to the jazz scene, Yu quite liked her first Jazz Cafe: “[Our] winter concerts and spring concerts…are more formal. But here, we are in the same room as the audience, and people [can] jump out of the audience and come to perform. I like it. It feels like an open mic night with…friends.” Dabbling in guitar, cello, and vocals, Yu, CdM’s resident jack of all trades, advises any readers with an inkling to start jazz to “just do it!” Similarly, Nguyen’s advice is simple yet necessary, quoting jazz legend Miles Davis: “There [are] no wrong notes in jazz.”
