Jazz singers compete for place on Ben Folds album

A couple weekends ago, I managed to catch Sacramento State's jazz vocal ensembles perform at JB's Lounge at the Red Lion Inn.

It wasn't the first time I saw the program's ensembles and it probably won't be the last. After all, the versatile vocals of the entire CSUS vocal jazz program may very well be coming to a Ben Folds Five album near you soon.

Those familiar with the program know that they prefer a forward-thinking brand of vocal jazz underpinned by an inclusive aesthetic espoused by Kerry Marsh, director the jazz vocal ensemble program.

Marsh seems to encourage his students to embrace pop influences, from Biz Markie to Radiohead. That night a couple weekends ago, C-Sus, the program's flagship ensemble, performed a pretty deft take on "How to Disappear Completely."

So when Ben Folds said he was looking for college a capella groups to contribute to a forthcoming album, it was no surprise then that Marsh and Co. jumped at the opportunity.

The video above was the vocal jazz program's official entry and damn if they don't have a good chance.

The next jazz vocal concert is December 12 at the music recital hall in Capistrano Hall on campus. Tickets are $8 for general admission and $5 for students.

As soon as we learn more about the contest, we'll let you know. And catch them now so you can say you saw them before they were famous.
Continue Reading>>

Places to hear Sac State music this weekend

Key:
RED = happening tonight
BLUE = happening Saturday
GREEN = happening Sunday

(note: if you can't see the map, you're probably using Internet Explorer. Click here.)

It's been a busy week for music, what with the Festival of New American Music and all. But sometimes it's hard to sneak away from the weekday grind to catch some live music. Now that the weekend is upon us, we can all bask in the free time and enjoy the music that Sacramento State has to offer. Here is a map of campus-related concerts this weekend; some are related to the festival, some are not.

See something we missed? Send an e-mail to ckitaura [at] statehornet.com. Continue Reading>>

It's about the jazz, not the clothing

I was stuck. T-shirt or collared shirt? I figured slacks would be too much, so I settled on jeans.

I was on my way to Savanna's Lounge (inside the Red Lion Inn on Arden Way) for its weekly Thursday night jazz concert. It was to be my first trip to a "jazz club." What do people wear to jazz clubs? Visions of smokey rooms filled with sophisticated fans swirled through my head.

I didn't care about being the best-dressed one there - somewhere in the lower 10th percentile is fine with me - I just didn't want to be the worst-dressed one there.

I arrived at school to pick up a friend who would be going with me to see he was wearing the same thing he had been wearing earlier in the day. How anticlimactic.

"This thing is off-campus?" he asked incredulously.

Once we arrived, clothing all but faded from our minds as we took a seat at a tall table glowing with a single candle. The first performer was finishing her set, and the room was all but empty. Maybe it just seemed that way because of the huge open spaces between tables and seats.

The hotel is in the middle of renovations, and a stripe of yellow caution tape hung over a black velvet curtain covering a doorway.

The band was calm and the mood was relaxed, and a couple of visitors wearing blazers nursed sandwiches or drinks. It occurred to me that this would be a good place to bring a date if I wanted to trick her into thinking I had sophisticated, refined tastes.

At 8 p.m., Sacramento State senior Glynis Davies took the stage for a set with the house band. Her voice bounced lightly through her upper and lower registers as she swayed and bounced with the rhythm.

She meekly thanked the crowd between songs as the group of students who had materialized just before her set hung on her every note, heads bobbing subtly.

Her relaxed set lasted about an hour, and included a cameo from fellow jazz studies major Arlyn Anderson on guitar.

Savanna's Lounge will feature Sac State students as guest performers for the next two Thursdays. The relaxed atmosphere would be a good place for a first jazz concert, and seasoned fans will appreciate the skilled performers.

There is no cover charge, and the bar/restaurant is all-ages. Click here for driving directions. For more information, call (916) 922-8041.

Listen to a (low-quality) recording from the concert here:


Continue Reading>>

Throat singers, pop, punk rock and, oh, apparently music sucks

We're nothing here at The State Hornet if not schizophrenic. Depending on our mood, we'll either celebrate music as a life-affirming force or deride it as a barren wasteland of washed-up pop stars. We just like to keep you on your toes.

This week, our ire was fueled by commercial radio and a famous pop star's sibling. Meanwhile, throat singers and punk rockers reminded us why the sounds of the world leave us in constant marvel.

Solange Knowles' latest album "Sol-Angel and the St. Hadley Dreams," though an improvement over her debut, didn't muster enough to win over our reviewer. Beyonce's sister seems doomed to remain known as "Beyonce sister" despite a couple of assists from Pharell and the singing half of Gnarls Barkley, Cee-lo.

In other news, music sucks. Mainstream music, to be exact. Disagree? Get on over to our Opinion section and let 'em know otherwise.

Elsewhere, a couple live music performances knocked our socks off. First, An on-campus performance by Chirgilchin, a world-renowned troupe of Tuvan throat singers, left audience members entranced by their hypnotic sound. And on the same night, Los Angeles punks X stormed through Sacramento and left their gentrifying fanbase in ruins.

Where else are you going to get a review of Solange and a video of Tuvan throat singers in the same place?

Only The State Hornet, friend. Continue Reading>>