Jazz, people fill South Carleton cafetorium

Posted Feb 16, 2012 By John Curry

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EMC News - It was not only jazz that filled the cafetorium at South Carleton High School in Richmond last Friday night at the school's Mardi Gras Jazz Night.

The cafetorium was also filled with people, both parents, students and siblings, as a crowd of about 300 enjoyed the jazz offerings of the South Carleton Junior and Senior Jazz Bands and the school's Guitar Ensemble. Indeed, twice as many tables had been put out to accommodate the crowd as had been in use for the inaugural jazz night at the school last year.

And what a night of jazz it was, with the musical offerings of the SCHS jazz bands and guitar ensemble followed by a performance by the Nepean All-City Jazz Band under the direction of Neil Yorke-Slader of Stittsville. Its performance showed why the band attracts the elite of youthful musicians in the area and why it has won numerous awards over the years.

But whether it was the SCHS jazz bands or the SCHS guitar ensemble or the Nepean all-City Jazz Band performing, the unifying attraction was the jazz music that was played.

So whether it was the guitar ensemble playing "Moondance," Van Morrison's most successful jazz composition and title song for his 1970 album of the same name, or the Nepean all-City Jazz Band playing "Body and Soul," a 1930 song that has become a jazz standard that has been recorded by such stars as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra, it was jazz that ruled the evening at this special event.

And there was more than just the well known jazz standards. Those in attendance heard the world premiere of "Baby Chachi," a jazz number written by Neil Yorke-Slader with thoughts of his ten year old step-daughter. "Chachi" comes from the long-running TV sitcom "Happy Days" in which Scott Baio played the role of Charles "Chachi" Arcola, Fonzie's cousin. And this was not the only Yorke-Slader composition played by the Nepean All-City Jazz Band during their performance, as they wound up their time on stage playing "Mind Portals," a tune that he wrote to commemorate the Jazz Band's 25th anniversary.

The jazz night featured a café style setup, with audience members sitting at tables set up around the cafetorium, except for an area right in front of the performance stage which was reserved as a dance floor. When the spirit moved people - and jazz music will do that - they would get up and move around the dance floor.

Students wearing wine-coloured shirts and pushing refreshment cards or carrying food tidbits circulated through the audience, offering their wares to those who wanted to sip or munch.

Black cut-out silhouettes showing musicians playing instruments such as the trumpet, clarinet and saxophone adorned the front and side walls of the cafetorium, adding to the jazz atmosphere for the evening. Adorning the rear of the hall were street signs with special meaning to jazz enthusiasts, like Basin Street and St. Charles Avenue, two New Orleans landmarks.

But it was the jazz sounds which filled the air which made the night so memorable and so enjoyable. You heard, among others, "I Feel Good," the 1965 song that is one of James Brown's signature songs, "Superstition," Stevie Wonder's 1972 hit, "There'll Never Be Another You," the 1942 song written for the musical Iceland featuring Sonja Henie which has become one of the most widely known and performed jazz standards, and "Undecided," a 1938 song which had its biggest hit in 1951 when sang by The Ames Brothers accompanied by Les Brown's orchestra.




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