The night was kicked off with introductory remarks from Chuck Stevenson '50 whose son, Matt Stevenson '05, is currently involved with the jazz program. Chuck Stevenson commented on his own music experiences as a young man as well as the development of the music department since his time at the College. He noted that when he attended the College there was no formal performing group of any sort and lauded the College's efforts to encourage student participation in music. Stevenson also commended the musicians involved in the festival for taking part in the event and urged them to continue playing after graduation.
Pieces performed by the groups varied widely from Big Band-era classics to contemporary composers and from pop to Afro-Latin, covering everything in between. The Mt. Holyoke Ensemble played several fun renditions of inter-war period music including "Java Jive" by Milton Drake and Ben Oakland and "The Man I Love" by George and Ira Gershwin, which featured the voice of an early standout in the show, Cherie Hannouche.
Another highlight of the night was the performance by a Williams Ensemble which featured professional percussionist KweYao Agyapon. Distinctively Latin in nature, the pieces were given an African twist with Agyapon's presence. Also notable was Williams' Dan Golub, whose flowing piano solos were formidable. UMass's Vocal Jazz Ensemble provided a poppy addition to the night, performing "Virtual Insanity" by Jamiroquai.
The College's Jazz Ensemble, directed by Bruce Diehl, performed the music of such jazz legends as Thelonious Monk and Nat "King" Cole. Austin Leach '08 and Evan Guiney '06 both performed saxophone solos in the opener, "I Mean You" by Thelonious Monk. The Ensemble's following piece, "Mean to Me" by Ahlert/Turk, featured the moving voice of Jennifer So '06, whose performance was one of the most compelling of the night. Nat "King" Cole's "Straighten Up and Fly Right" was sung by Andrew Moin '05, with an impressive trombone solo by Alex Rodriguez '07, as well as trumpet solos by Ben Bearnot '05 and Dan Marks '06. The Jazz Ensemble finished with "The Last Basket" by Matt Harris, which was introduced by the improvised riffs of Jed Heneberry '06 on bass. Roberto Rodriguez '07 on saxophone and Ben Lockwood '08 on piano also contributed solo performances during the piece.
Friday's performance was the first of a weekend-long event which included a workshop with professional saxophonist Walt Weiskopf on Saturday at UMass and a performance by the Amherst, Smith and Williams Ensembles at the Keefe Campus Center on Sunday evening.