| It was a happily cramped coffee shop and the Thursday evening flirting with the kick off of Spring Break when the North Idaho College Vocal Jazz ensemble soothed mid-term nerves and chased away the woos of winter with fiery and inspired chorus—as well as warm Calypsos coffee. |
Highlights of the show were frequent: Aubrey Turner dedicated a performance of the song “Misty” to her fiance, and the jazz choir quietly joined into the background of a performance by Courtney Swanson. Diana Smith, Maddie Nilges, and Rachel Anderson were treated to uproarious approval, and Jasha Sandford performed saxophone in the middle of a solo performance. Also, ending the night on a literal high note, during an ensemble rendition of “How Sweet it Is,” Connor Ealy received praise for hitting wildly energetic and tall notes.
“I felt the event went extremely well,” said Rachel Anderson, 18, Rathdrum, Music. “Every member of the jazz choir felt we really shined on stage that night. Our hard work as a group and as individual soloists really paid off. It was amazing to feel that rewarded by a semester’s worth of practice.”
The audience was very enthusiastic as well, and there was a good turnout. There were two seats available in the room, and that’s only because many in attendance chose to sit on the floor. While this would give the impression that all was loud, everyone quieted completely to hear the performances.
Members of the group had just recently returned from a tour to the Demiero Jazz Festival—made specifically for students to meet and have workshops with professional jazz musicians—and could utilize all of the information they gained there for a live audience.
The purpose of the event for the group, outside of bringing music to the community, is to gain experience performing in front of an audience in preparation for their big concert at the end of the semester, which this semester will be hosted in Schuler Hall, April 29.
The Vocal Jazz Choir isn’t just composed of students either.
“I really enjoy that the group is a mixture of students and community members that don’t attend NIC. It makes for a really diverse setting that allows all of us to learn and grow,” said Anderson. “The older members of the choir are able to provide us with musical experience and techniques that the younger members may not have yet. And the younger members give the group a fresher and open-minded vibe. Plus, Max Mendez keeps us all professional and on task! Without him we wouldn’t be nearly as good as we were that night at Calypso’s.”
