The evening started with a cacopohny of sounds, as trumpets, woodwinds, trombones, and percussions filled the small,
warmly lit room, as the performers “doodled” with their instruments and as soon as the clock struck 8 p.m. the sound became a chorus of music.
The one orchestrating the band, Kurt Festinger, stood in front of the party of 25, flicking his baton to control the performers.
The Dance Band was the first to perform that night, playing a swinging, upbeat tune arranged by Neal Hefti called “Sure Thing”.
The musicians seemed to sway to the sound of the music, as the audience drew from the performer’s energy. Not only was the band performing spectacularly, they were complimented with a group of equally talented singers.
Vocalists such as Ji Han and Marie Mannino kept the beats up and the crowd lively while other singers such as Satomi Mochizuki and Pashyo Sarkin mellowed the mood when the moment was just right.
The audience had a plate full of musical morsels such as easily recognizable tunes like “When I Fall in Love” and other just as famous songs like “Embraceable You”, all sung and played quite well.
Although there were a couple of misplaced notes and a few unexpected squeaks, it did not detract from the experience. The Dance Band was definitely something to fall in love with.
Halfway through the concert was an intermission, which allowed the audience to talk amongst each other and also let the other performers set up their area.
The beginning of the second half of the concert was a surprise change-up in the order of songs on the program. It began with the selection “Fat Cat”, arranged by Mark Taylor, and ended with an excited audience and an apologetic yet pleased conductor.
The Jazz Band featured a number of sensational soloists such as trombonist Hugo Vasquez, soxophonist Ruriko Matthews, and vibe player Greg Brown.
Their instrumental solos became individual pieces of art as, the measures provided a canvas and the instruments became a brush.
The bands were made up of a variety of age groups, it was clear that all of them are talented students of music.
“There are two bands that I teach, a day and a night band. The day band is strictly all El Camino students, but the night band draws from the community here,” Festinger said.
Although the Jazz Band gave a riveting performance, it did not go without a few problems. A minor, set back in the program was a performer who was unable to show up.
“Small problems like these we usually run in to. There isn’t really anything you can do about them, but work around them. It’s fairly common among performances.” Festinger said, in light of the missing performer situation.
Despite the minor problem, the performers went on to excel in their performance and make what would become an incredibly jazzed night.
As the night came to a close the band finished with the classic jam “Time After Time”. The sound of music filled the air one last time, as the musicians took their instruments in hand for one last song, and from what the audience portrayed, it seemed to them, it was almost like being in love.
