On Halloween eve, Penn Jazz haunts with past greats' music

Before heading to various venues to celebrate the eve of Halloween on Saturday night, hundreds of students began their evening listening to the contrasting sounds of jazz and rhythmic drum beats. The Penn Jazz Ensemble held its fall concert in the Annenberg Center's Zellerbach Theatre in front of an enthusiastic and boisterous crowd, many of whom were already decked out in their Halloween costumes. Special guest artists African Rhythms opened for the Jazz Ensemble. Penn Jazz played eight pieces under the direction of College senior Adam Warshafsky, the group's president. A 19-piece orchestra and the official jazz ensemble of the University, Penn Jazz is funded by the Student Activities Council and supported by the Performing Arts Council. The band played renditions of pieces by artists ranging from Cole Porter to Count Basie to Thelonius Monk. Basie, however, seemed to be the favorite that evening, as his arrangements "Hava Nice Day," "April in Paris" and "Wind Machine," were all played to thunderous applause. Each piece featured soloists who had the opportunity to improvise on stage, according to College sophomore Rob Levy, a percussionist and secretary of the Ensemble. The rhythm section, which Warshafsky said is often underrecognized, played Monk's "Straight No Chaser" at Levy's request to have the rhythm section play a piece without the brass sections. The piece featured Engineering junior Roberto Myers on piano, College freshman Jacob Kraft on bass and Levy on drums. At the conclusion of the evening, the ensemble received a standing ovation from the audience. Trombonist Josh Heald, a Wharton senior and the editor-in-chief of 34th Street magazine, gave in to requests for an encore and repeatedly insisted "one more time" before allowing the band to finish playing. College junior Michael Larsen explained that the band, which formed in the 1970s and played with the likes of Count Basie and Dizzie Gillespie, disappeared in the '80s but is "trying to let the University know that we have a really good band, a smoking band." And most of the audience agreed. College sophomore Amy Chen, who came to hear her friend play, called it "an excellent performance." African Rhythms, which opened for Penn Jazz, was composed of one lead drummer and two others. The group played four pieces and was accompanied by female dancers for each piece. The master drummer's enthusiasm was obvious throughout the group's performance. After the first number he asked the audience, "You like that, huh?" and responded to claps and cheers. Between the second and third pieces, the director stood up to invite the audience to clap to the music. Some found that they could not continue clapping as the drumming became too fast.