Vocalists were scatting and the bands swinging from the Synergy Vocal Jazz and Lab Band performance in the Fullerton College Campus Theatre on Tuesday, May 9.
The Synergy Vocal Jazz group, directed by Glynis Davies, kicked off the night with “Better Than Anything” arranged by Dave Barduhn, which showcased the synergy of the group.
Most of the song was sung in scat and all of the vocalists improvised a bit of a scat lick one by one. After an A Capella feature, the entire band came back in to end the song.
Later on, the group took a more popular tune from The Beatles as they performed Jeremy Fox’s arrangement of “Blackbird.”
Pianist Tina Kim and guitarist Miguel Partida started the song in a more romantic version of the original composition. Nearly all of the vocalists had solos, however this time Partida also accompanied them, being the only one from the rhythm section to have a solo for this chart.
The Synergy Vocal Jazz group concluded their night with “That Old Black Magic,” arranged by Kerry Marsh, with the vocalists dancing their way off the stage and rhythm section finishing to set up for the next group.
“I got a lot of solo parts in this song,” Owen Lee, bass vocalist remarked about the last song, “I couldn’t really understand the other songs, but this song – it totally fits me, I love it.”
The Jazz Lab Band, directed by Chad Willis, kicked off their set with “Computer”, by Bob Mintzer.
The piece started heavily with a low brass that went into a slap bass groove with the big band following along. After solos from multiple members, the winds had a solo that went into a drum solo abruptly end the chart.
The group later played an arrangement of the popular chart titled “My Funny Valentine”. The muted trumpet was a highlight of the song as it played a mysterious, sultry ballad. A slow stream of notes came from the guitarist, which went into a thunderous drum fill as the band followed with a fortissimo resolution.
The trumpet section were showing off their chops as they blared their horns, filling up the auditorium. This was notable by the first trumpet hitting double octave notes throughout the whole show.
For their ninth and final chart for the night, the Lab Band performed “Soul Vaccination” by the band Tower Power. It was a powerful soul and funk fusion chart that remained heavy and upbeat throughout the whole performance, which ended just as energetic as it started.
Carlos Zagal, the band’s bassist, commented about playing the Tower Power chart, “I like a lot of funk as it is, so anything with a syncopated rhythm is something I really like a lot.”
For upcoming concerts from all of the performing groups on campus, check the Fullerton College Music Department’s website.
