The Stanley Museum of Art’s foyer was filled with individuals eagerly awaiting an evening of exhilarating jazz. Underneath the nice and cozy glow of the lights, a mural mirrored within the home windows behind them, the primary of two trios took the stage.
The Ben Banta Trio consisted of Benjamin Banta on the tenor saxophone, Milo Savage-Webster on the drums, and Miles Kean on the upright bass. Banta is a third-year jazz research main with a minor in enterprise.
When he first got here to the University of Iowa, Banta was in laptop science and engineering, often taking part within the jazz ensemble. He shared that he turned totally enamored with the jazz program and made the foremost swap. One of his favourite facets of taking part in jazz was attending to work together with different musicians.
“Ideally, if you’re in a good space or creating [with] good people, you’re really listening to each other as much as you’re adding your own input,” Banta stated.
With a begin by Webster, the trio launched into the primary tune of the night, an upbeat tune that had the viewers immediately head-bobbing to its rhythms. Midway by the tune, Banta stopped taking part in, stepping to the aspect to let the drums and bass carry the tune. This was not the final time he would do that.
One of the songs that the Banta trio performed was “Lazy Bird” by famend jazz artist John Coltrane. While the title implies a quiet, gradual tune, the music was the precise reverse. The saxophone performed like an lively little chook, which shortly had the viewers cheering and applauding.
After the Ben Banta trio concluded their last tune, the second and last trio took the stage. The Mathuin Smith trio was led by saxophonist Mathuin Smith and consisted of Savage-Webster on the drums and Carson Parker taking part in the organ on an electrical keyboard.
Smith shared he had been taking part in music from a younger age, starting with piano across the age of seven, earlier than taking part in clarinet after which oboe. When he turned an undergraduate in school, he majored in oboe efficiency. Smith shared that his favourite a part of taking part in jazz was self-expression.
“It can almost be a little nerve-wracking, but also exciting where you’re delving into this territory that has not existed and will never exist after that song,” Smith stated. “Because the beauty of jazz improvisation is that nothing ever happens the same way twice.”
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The trio opened their first tune with wails from the saxophone, the organ and drums falling in behind it. The organ’s bouncy rhythms had the viewers smiling and head-bobbing, filling the foyer with sound.
In a pointy distinction, the subsequent tune was a rhythmic tune from Brazil referred to as “Corcovado” by Antonio Carlos Jobim. The drums tapped out a Bossa-Nova groove because the organ and saxophone adopted, which had viewers members swaying. In this tune, Parker performed quick runs on the organ, bringing the Brazilian tune to an exhilarating end.
For the encore of the efficiency, Smith invited Banta to play with him, and the 2 saxophonists performed an upbeat tune in sync, accompanied by Parker on the organ and Savage-Webster on the drums.
Each saxophone participant had their very own solo, Banta taking part in a loud and energetic tune that had Smith cheering him on, and Smith performing a softer, enjoyable tune after him. The musicians concluded their encore with a crashing end, and the viewers erupted into cheers and applause.
Attendee Devon Foster got here to the live performance along with his good friend Taygan Shilhanek. Foster shared he particularly loved the live performance as a former tenor saxophonist.
“I love saxophone-centric jazz, and so both trios having that be the centerpoint was really cool,” Foster stated.
Foster added that, as somebody who got here from a black church background, he loved the organ music as effectively.
Shilhanek stated she was in awe through the efficiency, entranced by the musicians’ facial expressions and the way they bought misplaced of their music. She stated her takeaway from the efficiency was the way it served as a reminder that jazz was not useless.
“I feel like there’s become such an oversaturation of pop music and the same thing, rinse, wash, repeat,” Shilhanek stated, “There’s a lot of creativity and uniqueness to be found within these groups, and it’s exciting to see the community come out and enjoy it just as much as the next person.”