Jessica Martinez
Staff Writer

California State University, Bakersfield’s Jazz Program launched its first Jazz Coffeehouse concert of the 2013-2014 academic year on Saturday, Nov. 2 inside CSUB’s Music Building.

The concert featured four sets of musical groups: Bakersfield College’s jazz collective, CSUB’s small jazz ensemble, CSUB’s jazz collective and original compositions by CSUB jazz students.

BC’s Jazz Collective started off the evening with a set of four songs. With only five students in their group, their set started off timidly, but were a great opening performance. The small venue and the limited seating created a warm and intimate atmosphere for the show. The Jazz Coffeehouse concert had a great turnout for its first concert of the year; a near-full house. BC’s collective was led by trombonist, Omar Murillo, a sophomore music major at BC, who has been playing for six years, and is also part of the CSUB Big Band.

“It was actually pretty full. It was more people than I expected,” Murillo said.

CSUB’s jazz ensemble took over after the BC collective. The evening’s performances included tunes by Horace Silver, Miles Davis, and the group Snarky Puppy.

Steven Carlson, a CSUB sophomore music major, said the ensemble rehearsed “two times a week, about two and a half hours practices” to prepare for the show. The dedication in all four groups was evident by the gleaming sweat on their foreheads, bulging veins, and reddening faces. Their passion for the music was visible, and their energy
was contagious. This show was a real gem. Each song impressed me more than the one before, especially the students’ original compositions. Their hard work truly paid off – each and every single one of them shined. I made sure to buy a Jazz Club t-shirt, only $15, and all proceeds go towards the club’s funding. I will definitely be back for the next two shows.

Jim Scully, the director of jazz studies at CSUB, announced at the show that the Jazz Club released their first CD on Nov. 2, and it is currently available for purchase on iTunes. It consists of thirteen songs composed by CSUB students in the program.

Alejandro Arvizu, a senior music education major at CSUB said, “It’s a project we did over the summer with songs that we wrote the year before. We chose the best couple ones out of the year, and we recorded them over the summer. We went to the recording studio, we mixed and matched it and all that good stuff, and now it’s a CD.”

This show was the first of a three part series that will be held throughout the year. All shows are held in CSUB’s Music Building Room 127 beginning at 7:30 P.M. The next show is on Saturday, March 1, 2014, and the finale will be on Saturday, May 24, 2014. Admission for the Jazz Coffeehouse concerts is $10 for general admission and $5 for students and seniors. Seating for these concerts is limited to 100 guests; reservations can be made by calling (661) 654-2511.For more information, contact Jim Scully, director of Jazz Studies at CSUB. Keep up with other performances by “liking” their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CSUBmusic. Mark your calendars; these shows are worth it.