Concert Offers Toe Tapping Jazz Standards

The Westmont Music Department’s weekly Friday night virtual concert series gets jazzy on Nov. 6. The Westmont Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of keyboardist Eben Drost, will perform many recognizable standards starting at 7 p.m. at westmont.edu/virtual-concert-series. The concert will be recorded in Deane Chapel with musicians wearing masks and singers standing outside the door when they perform.

“Like many musicians, we in the jazz ensemble had been missing the musical and social joys of playing with other people,” Drost says. “But before repopulating, we did have some meaningful time over Zoom listening to music, learning about jazz history and some of the social situations musicians were responding to, and geeking out on jazz theory topics like the super-Locrian scale. It’s been a blast.”

The ensemble includes Colby Young (drums), Dylan Russell (bassist), Keegan Perez (guitarist), Samila Holt (clarinet/sax), Soren Warren (trumpet), and Julianne Jimenez (vocals). Alumnus John Butler ’20 will assist on drums.

The performance includes “A Night in Tunisia” by Dizzy Gillespie, “Angel Eyes” composed by Matt Dennis with lyrics by Earl Brent, “Black Orpheus” by Luiz Bonfa, “Blue in Green” by Miles Davis, “It’s Been a Long, Long Time” by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn, “Ornithology” by Charlie Parker and Bennie Harris, and “Pent Up House” by Sonny Rollins.