A faculty trio at UNC-Chapel Hill joined guest artists Rahsaan Barber and Jerald Shynett for a concert in Moeser Auditorium Monday evening. The group played original songs composed by Barber and Shynett, as well as a few older tunes more familiar to the students in the audience.
The concert was delivered as a hybrid in-person and Zoom event, with Barber and Shynett performing their pieces over video chat in real time. The performance featured energizing bursts of improvisation from various players.
Saxophonist Barber and trombonist Shynett, as well as pianist Dr. Stephen Anderson, bass player Jason Foureman, and percussionist Dan Davis took turns improvising individual lines over the rhythmic section. These solo sections are a key aspect of jazz performance.
Shynett, a music instructor at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, said that the quintet had played together like this before, but tonight’s audience was the first to hear the show in-house.
The student audience gathered for UNC’s annual Summer Jazz Workshop, a constant of the UNC Music Department for more than 15 years. Led by Dr. Anderson, students from middle school through college gain crucial knowledge of music theory, jazz performance, and music history from a number of visiting instructors.
This year, the Summer Jazz Workshop will run from June 21st to June 25th.
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