(Joel Aguilar / Fourth Estate)
Jazz4Justice and the GMU jazz ensembles perform to raise money for legal aid and music programs
BY JOEL AGUILAR, STAFF WRITER
Jazz4Justice, a local nonprofit that helps fund free legal aid and music programs across Virginia, held their 25th annual performance with Mason’s Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Vocal Ensemble at the Center for Arts on Nov. 14, wowing donors, law professionals and Mason students alike.
The nonprofit has hosted over 75 concerts, with the proceeds going towards providing pro bono legal representation to those in need and funding music scholarships and programs at participating universities.
This year’s performance had a variety of songs and focused on the “Latin tinge:” the Afro-Cuban, Caribbean and South American influences found in jazz.
“Jelly Roll Morton once said, ‘if you don’t have the Latin tinge, you’re not playing real jazz,’” Jim Carroll, director of the Mason Jazz Ensemble, said during his opening statement.
This was promptly demonstrated with their first two songs of the night, “Love for Sale” by Cole Porter and “The Look of Love” by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Both were love songs featuring instruments reminiscent of the theme.
Their third song of the night was a surprise: “Tank!” by Yoko Kanno from “Cowboy Bebop,” an anime with deep ties to jazz. The name alone had many of the younger audience members sitting up in their seats, but before long everyone was moved by the song’s fast-paced and energetic nature.
This was followed by “You’re Makin’ Me Crazy” by Gary and Rosana Eckert and “Chucho” by Paquito D’Rivera, both energetic songs steeped in Latin culture. Each song contained solos from different performers, showing off their individual skills.
The first half of the performance ended with “Manteca” by Dizzy Gillespie, which felt like street music found in the heart of Cuba. With a heavy focus on percussion, the interesting use of the metal drum and a call and response section, performers and audience members alike yelled “Manteca!” throughout the song.
As the energized audience shuffled out of the venue for the intermission, many commented on how they wanted to “get up and dance.” Some of the students created an uproar of support for their friends on stage while they left for a break.
The jazz ensembles began the second half by playing “Snow Samba” by Paquito D’Rivera and Claudio Roditi, “The Chicken” by Alfred James Ellis and “Baroque Samba” Darmon Meader, which were in line with more traditional jazz pieces, using instruments popularized in American genres.
“The Chicken” had an interesting approach of mixing new and old. The song included a solo from both Art Martin, a military veteran who is graduating from the program, and Jonathan Velez, a newcomer to the program.
Ed Weiner, the founder of Jazz4Justice, talked about the start of the organization, which started as a collaboration between Weiner and Jim Carroll. He then thanked the many sponsors and volunteers, which have been with the organization for decades.
Weiner invited President Gregory Washington on stage as the guest composer to conduct “Fanfare for the Common Man” composed by Aaron Copland.
The show ended with Louis Prima’s “Sing, Sing, Sing” with Jazz4Justice adding a Latin tinge. This also doubled as an evaluation of the performers as they each had their own short solos.
At the end of the song, all of the performers lined up for a bow and were met with a long standing ovation. Audience members commented on how energized they felt leaving the venue.
