University wind ensemble fires up crowd for spring concert

The University Wind Ensemble played with fire in Collins Alumni Auditorium on April 21 with a professional Dixieland Jazz Combo for the ensemble’s spring concert.  The seven-piece jazz combo, along with the University Wind Ensemble, performed a set of pieces called “Playing with Fire.” The pieces were “A la Bauduc,” “Shades of Blue” and “Polyphonies and Riffs.” The Dixieland Jazz Combo was made up of Sam Levine on the clarinet, Alan Suska on the cornet, Creighton Miller on the trombone, G.R. Davis on the double bass, Chris Nelson on the drums, Mark Godwin on the banjo and Kevin Madill on the piano. The wind ensemble prepared all semester for the show; however, the students were only able to rehearse with the jazz combo the night before. Despite the adversity freshman trombone player Robert Glenn said the experience was a good one. “Playing with a Dixieland Jazz Combo is fantastic. They’re just great musicians, and I’m very glad I got the opportunity to play with them,” Glenn said. The wind ensemble opened the night by preforming “Lassus Trombone” by Henry Fillmore, then followed that with “Watchman, Tell Us of the Night” by Mark Camphouse. The first two songs were conducted by Dr. Stephen L. Rhodes. The final piece before the jazz combo played was the “English Folk Song Suite.” The first piece, “Seventeen Come Sunday,” was conducted by J. Elliot Bowman. The second piece, “My Bonny Boy,” was conducted by Bailey Werner. The third and final piece, “Folk Songs from Somerset,” was conducted by Grace...

Jesse Taylor finds joy in songwriting and performing

Jesse Taylor didn’t learn how to play the guitar until he was a senior in high school. If you’re familiar with the sophomore Fairview, Tenn., native, you might find this a bit surprising. Taylor, a regular performer at Rooster’s Barbeque (located in Downtown Nashville), can’t exactly claim to have bitten by the country music bug at the same time his guitar skills came to fruition, but it’s easy to see where this aspiring country singer-songwriter gets his inspiration. A car ride to the hospital to see his newly born sister marked the first time any of his family got the idea that the two-year-old Taylor had country in his veins. “My aunt told me that when she took me to the hospital to see my sister, she put me in the car and I started crying about five minutes down the road, and she couldn’t figure out why,” Taylor said. “And I kept saying ‘Hoochee, Hoochee, Hoochee’.” The cause of young Taylor’s cries? A desire to listen to Alan Jackson’s 1993 hit “Chattahoochee.” “She put that Alan Jackson tape in there,” Taylor said. “And we listened to ‘Chattahoochee’ all the way [to the hospital], and all the way back home.” Taylor cites Jackson as one of his early inspirations as a singer/songwriter, along with George Jones, Johnny Cash and Sonny James. Taylor became personally familiar with James, a former country chart-topper, around his sixth grade year of school, as the two went to church together. From that point on, a big hug after the service wasn’t foreign for James, Taylor and Taylor’s little brother. “[James] is a fantastic singer,...

Lipscomb Guitar Ensemble plays spring concert

The Lipscomb Guitar Ensemble put on its spring concert April 10. About 50 students and faculty members attended the concert. This semester, the ensemble was made up of sophomore Mack Hoskins, senior Marco Perez and their professor Mark Godwin. They performed pieces ranging from traditional folk songs to compositions by Mozart and Bach.  Check out this video to hear “Barquero” by Felix DeSilva, one of the songs featured in the concert.    ...