By Andrea Fernandez
Associate Editor
The soothing sounds of jazz filled the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts on Wednesday night as The Dave Schiavone Quartet took the stage.
The performers blew the audience away with the sounds of the saxophone, and everyone tapped their feet to the beat of the drum and swayed along to the melody of the piano and base.
The pianist, George Caldwell, of Memphis, Tennessee said he grew up in a house where he received an appreciation for all different kinds of music, although jazz was favored.
“My dad was always into jazz,” Caldwell said. “When I was little, my dad put my hands on the piano and taught me the first movements to ‘Moonlight Sonata’ by Beethoven.”
Caldwell said his dad gave him the love for music and was his best teacher. He lived in New York City for over 30 years, played in a couple Broadway shows and gained a few connections. A series of events, including his wife, drew Caldwell to Buffalo where he currently teaches and plays with the group.
“The experience has been great so far,” Caldwell said. “I’ve learned that music keeps you humbled. It’s universal, so there’s always someone who is better.”
For Caldwell, music is a way to spread love. If your heart is good, and you want to do good through music, people can feel that, he said.
Jabril Wright, a senior philosophy pre-law major, said he enjoyed the performance and thinks Bonaventure should continue to host similar events.
“I thought the show was very interesting to watch and listen to,” Wright said. “Each performer’s solo had his own flare to it.”
The audiences, which consisted of students, faculty and the general public, enjoyed the performance as they cheered the group on from beginning to end.
“I would recommend that students come to future jazz performances so that they can experience a new form of music,” Wright said.
He added that college-aged individuals don’t typically go to jazz performances, but it’s pivotal to have an appreciation for classical music.
“The performance really took me out of my element because I’m so used to listening to one kind of genre,” said Brandi Mapson, a senior sociology major. “I would recommend this to others because from the beginning to the end, it’s like the beat just takes over your body, and you can’t help but want to dance.”
This free performance was the first concert in the CLAR 209 Jazz series. The concert series featuring Buffalo’s premier woodwind player was made possible by a grant from the Keenan-Martine endowment. The second performance in the jazz series will be on March 22, 2016.
fernanal13@bonaventure.edu
