Author: Kellie Finch

Jazz is significantly cooler than I thought it was

Going into the workshop, I never found myself gravitating toward jazz as a music genre. I primarily chose to take this class for the journalism section and to see how I could expand my knowledge of music. The nightly concerts were amazing, but the daily jam sessions were what truly made me realize how fun jazz is.

Watching students from middle school all the way through adulthood get up and improvise together was incredible. Seeing the wheels turn in someone’s mind as they began a new sequence of runs or blared out the highest note their instrument could offer was awesome to witness.

I may take my friend up on learning how to dance

Thursday evening of the workshop, the Tito Puente Tribute Latin Dance Night took place in Kenan Music Building. Prior to the concert, Norberto “Betto” Herrera gave a salsa dancing lesson to students. I cannot remember the last time I had this much fun, and the beauty of salsa dancing is how versatile it is. All you need is a fun rhythm, and there are so many ways you can move your feet. Shoutout to my friend on UNC’s Ballroom Dance Team – he keeps telling me to come to their events, and it looks like I may have to. 

Music brings people together like nothing else

This is a lesson I already knew, but it was only emphasized further throughout my time at the workshop. Speaking to performers and learning their stories through the journalism and jazz history section was incredibly rewarding. Hearing how best friends were formed, lifelong dreams were held, and families were built because of music is the coolest thing in the world.

In the journalism section, we were given the assignment of interviewing a member of the workshop for a profile piece. I chose performer Samuel Edoho-Eket, primarily because I thought it was fascinating how he played so many different instruments. Through speaking with him, I learned so much more about jazz’s influence on his life, including his close friendship with Roland and Rahsaan Barber, two of the faculty members at the workshop.

Jazz is all about communication, and it’s such a supportive activity

Watching the nightly concerts, jam sessions, and group lessons taught me a great deal about how much communication goes into jazz. Especially when there’s a lot of improvisation taking place, performers are constantly watching each other, counting, and signaling who’s going to play and when.

With this, I can’t recall a time and place where I saw more support and encouragement than watching jazz musicians play together. There are constant smiles, high-fives, and faces of pure awe after someone finishes a solo. Everyone is just so eager to learn from each other, and it’s beautiful to see.

 

Samuel Edoho-Eket walked into his childhood friends’ home – the Barbers – like he often did after school. 

Being in the country music capital of America, one might expect one of the many CDs stacked in the Barbers’ Nashville home to hold the name “Shania Twain” or “Garth Brooks.”

Instead, on the couch next to Roland Barber’s trombone, strategically balanced on top of Rahsaan Barber’s saxophone, or scattered across the kitchen, were a different assortment of names.

Roy Hargrove, Antonio Hart, Wynton Marsalis. Jazz.

Edoho-Eket found his friends in their kitchen, a CD player already blasting one of Hart’s famous saxophone solos. The trio, brought together by rhythms and soul, critiqued the music for hours on end, pointing out their favorite sequences and gathering inspiration.

Years later, after going their separate ways to find work and start their adult lives, the group came back together. And it was jazz that did the trick. 

The UNC Summer Jazz Workshop, an annual five-day program in June, teaches students from middle school through adulthood. Participants learn about improvisation, performance, jazz history, and theory from esteemed professional musicians. 

Rahsaan and Roland Barber are both on the faculty for the 2023 workshop, while Edoho-Eket is a participant. A friend’s brother told Edoho-Eket about the opportunity and encouraged him to attend, both for the musical experience and to catch up with his friends.

“It’s a dream come true,” Edoho-Eket said.

Edoho-Eket is a multitalented musician, having played trombone for 33 years, alto saxophone for a year and a half, trumpet for seven months, and various recorders since he was a kid.

Growing up in the 1980s and ’90s, Edoho-Eket heard a lot of hip-hop music but said it was too negative for his taste. It was Roland Barber that played Edoho-Eket a J.J. Johnson record their freshman year of high school, causing him to fall in love with jazz.

“To get a window into what it takes to become at that level is really amazing to see firsthand,” Edoho-Eket said.

Having a group of friends who shared his same passion for music inspired Edoho-Eket to build his own skill, he said. Listening to the Barber brothers practice and try out new techniques pushed him to be better.

“It was really interesting seeing up close, what it takes to be a great musician,” Edoho-Eket said.

Edoho-Eket said he enjoys how applicable music is to other aspects of his life, particularly in the lessons it teaches. 

“The thing I love about music is, you have to continue working to get better,” Edoho-Eket said. 

Just because you can’t play something right now, it doesn’t mean you’ll never be able to get there, Edoho-Eket said. 

Even in his job as an IT consultant, Edoho-Eket can utilize the lessons he has gained from music, particularly in his dedication to everything he does. 

That dedication doesn’t go unnoticed. 

Rahsaan Barber, Edoho-Eket’s childhood friend, complimented the musician on his attitude. Barber said that trait can be used to inspire other students at the workshop.

“One of the [reasons] I think he’s such a great model for our students is the openness to trying things,” Barber said. 

Throughout the workshop, Edoho-Eket has played many of the instruments in his collection, including trombone, trumpet, alto saxophone, and bass recorder.

In speaking with Barber, he reflected fondly on listening to jazz records with his brother and Edoho-Eket as kids, noting that the love he had for music was something that began one day and never faded.

“There was something about the creativity of it and also the connection to it,” Barber said.

That connection that Edoho-Eket and the Barber brothers found within jazz music and formed with each other continues to grow stronger.

And if the friends ever miss home, there’s nothing like a week full of brass and blues to bring them right back. 

Get to know Samuel Edoho-Eket a bit more:

• Favorite part of the UNC Summer Jazz Workshop: The “Music of Al Strong” concert
• What Samuel is looking forward to: Latin Night and seeing everyone’s combos on Friday
• Favorite piece he’s played: “Black Nile” by Wayne Shorter or “Soppin’ The Biscuit” by Roy Hargrove

A long first day of excitement and exhaustion held by UNC Summer Jazz Workshop participants concluded as blue lights shone in Moeser Auditorium. 

“The Music of Al Strong.”

June 26, 2023. 

Award-winning trumpeter, Al Strong, took to the stage.

Alongside him was a group of uniquely talented individuals. The band was made up of UNC professors and esteemed professional musicians. 

• Rahsaan Barber: Saxophones
• Roland Barber: Trombone
• Stephen Anderson: Piano
• Jason Foureman: Bass
• Kobie Watkins: Drums

From start to finish, Strong kept the audience in the palm of his hand. The band swung both in their playing and in their physical movements, grooving from side to side for the entirety of the hour-and-a-half-long performance.

Although Strong was the star of the show, he accepted that position humbly. He was often seen stepping to the side during the performance to allow his band to shine. After Roland Barber blared out an especially remarkable sequence, Strong nodded and smiled in admiration.

The ensemble’s communication skills were clear throughout the show. Players signaled with their hands or instruments to each other to play louder, start an improvised phrase, or to join the rest of the group.

Transitions between pieces acted as a rhythmic show-and-tell. Anderson, Foureman, and Watkins conversed elegantly with their overlapping melodies, telling the same story from three different perspectives.

Watkins’ enthusiasm was a highlight of the evening. His never-ending energy and permanent smile were contagious to the audience, particularly after one of Rahsaan Barber’s growling, run-filled saxophone solos. 

Strong’s musical choices brought Moeser Auditorium on a historical and personal journey. “At-Nimara’s Journey” honored Harriet Tubman, while “Lullaby For The Ancestors” brought emotion to the crowd.

When Strong started the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” melody, an elderly couple looked at each other and smiled at the piece’s familiarity. 

Strong’s impressive range and contrast came through in “The Dog Who Always Finds His Way Home.” Repetitions, runs, and moments of resolution brought the theme to life. 

Minutes later, Foureman held the audience in a trance with his hauntingly beautiful sound. Not even a breath was heard, for fear of losing the bass’s serenity.

The remainder of the concert featured a level of muted fuzziness from Strong, though it was entirely intentional. Comparable to the sound of an old-time audio recording, the texture was a pleasant addition.

Strong ended his evening leading the audience in a sing-along. Students, faculty, and staff joined Strong in chanting “The Blues” and “No More Blues” and clapping rhythmically.

“My name is Al Strong,” Strong said. “I love you very much.”

Strong wailed one final hurrah. 

The audience leapt to their feet.