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Volume 41, Issue 7
December 2, 2003
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December 2, 2003
MCC jazz ensemble hits high note at Scottsdale
performance
Steve
Emmick
Mesa Legend
On Nov. 18, the Kerr Cultural Center in Scottsdale proudly presented
the MCC Jazz Ensemble with special guest, saxophone musician Rich Perry.
Perry, an accomplished saxophone player, played with the MCC orchestra
for the first time, providing an overwhelming performance in front of
an eager audience.
The orchestra ensemble consisted of mostly MCC students who have studied
jazz at the college most of whom hope to further their careers in music.
The band has not played together very long. Band director Rob Hunter stated,
“This is the first semester these guys and girls have played together,
and they sound great. We are glad these musicians have come to play so
well together and we are even more fortunate that Fred (Forney) was able
to fly Rich Perry in from New York to play with us.”
Director and composer Fred Forney, also an accomplished trumpet player,
seemed to have an inspiring influence on his band that night as he guided
his talented musicians through some extremely difficult and challenging
pieces of music.
Covers included historical works by legendary musicians such as Duke Ellington,
Tom Kubis, Thad Jones, and Maria Schneider.
The evening’s music ranged from swinging jazz to mellow beat jazz
to hot be-bop.
Featured performer, Perry, landed on stage on after the MCC band carried
the first two musical numbers.
Forney, a composer for over 17 years, said he has only been working with
the college orchestra for three years, but believes that there is an enormous
amount of talent in his band.
“We played some very difficult music tonight and the band played
along so well, I couldn't be happier,” said Forney after the concert.
“Rich Perry is a really great guy and an excellent sax player and
we were very fortunate to have had him play with us tonight, so we hope
he’ll come back to Phoenix and play with us again.”
“I thought we played really awesome tonight because everyone was
on perfectly. It was such a treat to be playing with a great musician
such as Rich Perry. But, more than anything, I thought we just played
great as a band,” trumpet player Mark Menges said.
Menges noted that their performance that night marked the end of the semester
for the orchestra and the last concert performance as a band.
“It was a great way to finish (the semester),” Menges declared.
Perry was not the only soloist of the evening. Lone performances by Estaban
Estrada, who led an intricate and intelligent bass solo, and Danielle
Cooke, who played marvelously and distinctively on the piano, were just
a couple of the outstanding performances that marked the event.
With respect to the night’s concert, Perry revealed, “I loved
it here in Phoenix and this night was a terrific night for playing some
jazz. But the thing that surprised me the most was how amazing this ensemble
of musicians played together; they were very professional and I would
love to come back and play with them again.”
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