By Stacey Fisher
Freelance reporter
Special to the Tribune

On Tuesday, November 19, Skyline Schools was given the rare opportunity to listen to a college-level performance when the Sterling College Jazz Band played a set for the staff and students, some of which admitted that they had never heard live jazz music before.

Toes were tapping and heads were bobbing to the rhythm as every section of the 17-piece band was represented in different songs by improvisational solo performances. The neophyte jazz fans were instructed ahead of time by the band director, Larry Brownlee, in the proper ways of expressing enthusiasm for a solo (by clapping within the song), and did so with gusto and a sort of wonderment that they were allowed to applaud in the middle of the song.

The set list included some jazz standards that even new fans could recognize such as Caravan and My Funny Valentine. Sprinkled throughout were new songs, such as No Time to Die from the James Bond franchise, Meglovania from Undertale (an apparently popular video game, based on the student’s response), and even the old classic rock song Frankenstein, a 1972 release by the Edgar Winter Group. There was something for everyone, and the concert was enjoyed by all.

Based on the smiles of the audience, especially the elementary students as they were leaving, more than a few jazz fans, and perhaps some future jazz players, were created that day. Many thanks to Mr. Brownlee and his talented groups of musicians for time well spent.