The Cochran Chapel was transformed into a jazz club this past Sunday afternoon thanks to the Academy Jazz Band, directed by Peter Cirelli, and musical guest Fred Buda.
Sponsored by the Thomas D. Chapin Fund, Buda performed both with the students as well as with his own band, The 2 Bass Hits Quintet.
The band included Buda on the drums, his son Dave Buda on the electric bass, Ben Cook on the piano, Mike Monaghan on the Saxophone and Marshall Wood on the acoustic bass.
With loud trumpet bursts and a collective “Hey!” the jazz band’s first song, “Second Line” by Victor Goines, promptly replaced the dreary mood of the weather.
The slower tempo and muted trumpets of another song, “Shiny Stockings” by saxophonist Frank Foster, steadily built up excitement until the crashing of cymbals finished the piece.
Musical guest Buda joined the students for the final two songs of the night. Buda lit up the stage with his outstanding performance on the drums.
Their final song, “Sing, Sing, Sing” by Louis Prima, was a favorite for both the audience and the performers. Although Buda only had one rehearsal with the students, he played very comfortably with the rest of the band.
“Mr. Buda was a great guest artist and it was a real pleasure playing with him today,” said trombonist Greg Zhang ’12.
Buda took the stage again after a brief intermission, this time with The 2 Bass Hits Quintet.
The band includes both an acoustic and an electric bass. As the musicians began to play, it became clear that this unconventional combination of instruments balanced well and complemented each other.
The performance started out with the good-natured “Theodore the Thumper” by Dave McKenna.
After this brief trip to the Boston area, the quintet headed south with a tribute to New Orleans. The medley, which traveled through the soprano saxophone notes of “Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans” by Louis Armstrong onto the more upbeat “I Found a New Baby” by Benny Goodman, seemed to be telling a story.
The soothing “In a Sentimental Mood” by Duke Ellington was also a crowd favorite.
“Duke Ellington is perhaps the greatest American jazz musician that we know, and we’ve known plenty,” said Buda.
The quintet not only impressed the audience with their musical ability, but also with their relaxed, comfortable attitude on stage.
The musicians appeared to greatly enjoy themselves as they swayed along to the songs and smiled at each other.
After the show, Buda highlighted a coincidence of his performance at Andover. Tom Chapin, a late PA alum and accomplished musician whose fund made Buda’s visit possible, is the brother of Jim Chapin, the author of the instructional drumming book used by Buda.
That day, Buda had also taught a “master class” to jazz band drummers Rohan Malhotra ’11 and Dan Krichmar ’12.
“Mr. Cirelli asked me to do a half hour, and we ended up going about an hour. They were so anxious to pick up new ideas,” said Buda.
Buda and The 2 Bass Hits Quarter undoubtedly inspired the members of the Academy Jazz band with their impressive performance. Buda was equally impressed with the talent displayed by the student musicians.
“I was so taken with the way these young people played, and knowing that they are so heavily endowed with a tremendous amount of homework and…what they’re playing is difficult music,” he said.
