Jazz
Review by Melissa Christensen

I am nostalgic for a time in which I have never lived. The patriotism, the simplicity and the desire to live that I associate with the 1940s were reincarnated Wednesday at “Remembering the Big Bands,” the 2nd annual Valentine’s Day concert presented by the TCU Jazz Ensemble.

Watching the reactions of the older audience members was the best entertainment I could have asked for on a Valentine’s Day celebrated single-style. To my left, a white-haired gentleman unsuccessfully attempted to reign in his body’s desire to celebrate the rhythm. Before the first theme of “In the Mood” was finished, he was slapping his thigh and bobbing his head. In front and to the right, a grandmother bounced on her lap a curly-headed toddler who clapped her chubby hands to her own beat. Down the row, a mischievous smile moved across a man’s wrinkled face as his wife whispered in his ear and slid her hand into his. It was as if the wrinkled-skin was smooth again, the grays had returned to blondes and browns and the aching joints were once again limber and free.

I understood how this transformation had taken place once director Curt Wilson kicked off a medley entitled “Salute to the Bands.” Themes familiar even to myself floated throughout Ed Landreth Hall Auditorium, climaxing at an imitated telephone ring followed by several hundred voices shouting in unison, “Pennsylvania 6-5000.”

I realized these big band tunes were the “Baby One More Time” and “It’s Gonna Be Me” of our time. But something tells me the replaying of Britney Spears and N’Sync in 60 years won’t evoke the same nostalgia in us as “Little Brown Jug” and “Stardust” evoked in the World War II generation Wednesday.

The music of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Les Brown proved to me that certain songs possess a timeless character. As two elderly ladies expressed during intermission, it is wonderful that children born in the 1980s can’t only play, but also express the same subtle qualities and enjoy making the same music children of the 1920s and 1930s danced to.

The personality of the evening was enhanced by Wilson’s commentary during door prize give-a-ways and a selection played in addition to the printed program. Dendra Barnett, featured jazz vocalist, shined not only with her sequin accents, but through her dazzling smile and infectious love for the music she was helping to create. A few informal trivia questions and “Name-that-Tune” games established intimacy between the ensemble and the audience.

Wilson deserves praise for his creation. More than just a concert, the big band tribute provided a time warp for all audience members. TCU students were privileged to see the years melt away from the faces of their elders, while that older generation was able to see the same joy they experienced brought to a new generation. Wilson taught everybody in attendance that music is the language of time.

Melissa Christensen is a sophomore news-editorial journalism major from Grand Island, Neb.
She can be reached at (m.s.christense@student.tcu.edu).