Monmouth Reg'l Jazz Band swings into spring
Jazz band will play May 16 concert at Borders bookstore
BY ANUM AZAM
Correspondent

Above, MRHS Jazz Band pianist Ed Innace solos during the Jazz Nite concert held at the high school. Below, Jazz Band vocalist Karen Hauge serenades the audience with a jazz standard during the April 28 fundraiser.

TINTON FALLS - After several shows on the road, the Monmouth Regional High School Jazz Band came home again for one of its biggest fundraisers of the year.

MRHS hosted its sixth annual "Jazz Nite at Monmouth," featuring the high school jazz band under the musical direction of Gerald Romano last Friday, in the MRHS Commons.

The Tinton Falls Middle School Jazz Band and the Jerry Romano Quartet also performed during the event, which included a silent auction.

"I started [Jazz Nite] six years ago because the school wasn't motivated and the music department wasn't motivated," Romano said. "I wanted to bring jazz to the people, because that is America's music. I just wanted to get people into jazz; people don't really understand the history of it."

"I love jazz. I wanted to develop a program at Monmouth Regional about the big band," he said.

PHOTOS BY MIGUEL JUAREZ staff

By the end of the night, people of all ages shared Romano's appreciation for jazz, the musical art form that originated in New Orleans in the 1920s and is characterized by blue notes, swing and improvisation.

The Tinton Falls Middle School, directed by Steve Williams, kicked off the night with four jazz tunes.

"At Jazz Nite, we get the experience of playing in a professional setting, in which most kids will never play until high school," William said. "We get the advantage of hearing what the high school band sounds like. So, we are here for playing and hearing."

"The band is a source of inspiration, and we are here for some inspiration," he added. "Jazz Nite is a great idea - I enjoy it myself."

The middle school band was followed by a performance by the Jerry Romano Quartet, a professional group including Mike Rosa on bass guitar, Frank DeGregorio on piano, Steve Kelly on the drums and Romano playing the trumpet.

Around 7:30 p.m., the members of the MRHS Jazz Band took their places and played almost all the songs they knew. The band has incorporated classic swing such as Sammy Nestico's "Ya Gotta Try" and "Take the 'A' Train," Duke Ellington's signature tune, into its repertoire. The band also played jazz-rock pieces such as "The Jazz Police" as recorded by Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, as well as songs of other jazz subgenres.

Karen Hauge, a senior at MRHS, sang the band's vocal tunes, which included "I've Got the World on a String," "It's Only a Paper Moon," "The Girl From Ipanema," "Take the 'A' Train," and "Taking a Chance on Love."

Band members agreed that the night was a success, musically as well as financially.

Hauge said, "Jazz Nite was a great success, well-attended, and people were enthusiastic. No one complained that we were too loud this year. Mr. Romano really enjoys showing us how to play jazz, and he works us hard."

Of her own performance, she said, "It would be impossible for me to stop singing."

"It is my greatest passion to perform and give pleasure to others," said Josh Staudinger, a junior who resides in Eatontown and plays tenor saxophone in the jazz band.

This is his third year in the band, and he added that improvement has been spectacular.

Sophomore Kay Lantz, an Eatontown resident and trumpet player, said, "The jazz band did a magnificent job. Jazz Nite is a great opportunity for people of the community to have fun and support the youth. It's also a great chance for us to perform for a huge amount of people in an enjoyable setting where there is a lot of food and the lights are low."

Garret Faccone from Eatontown, the band's lead trumpet player, said it was "amazing to be able to play in front of people and not [sound unpleasant]."

Fellow trumpet player Justin Szczecina of Tinton Falls, a senior, added, "This is proving to them that you're worth something. Basically, it builds confidence.

"I wasn't nervous, because we were playing in front of friends and family, in a comfortable setting," he said. "My family said we did a bang-up job."

"The most emotional part of the night was during [Gordon Goodwin's] 'Count Bubba,' in the solo section, because I finally got the notes and the rhythms down and was able to play confidently," said Szczecina.

During the performances, spectators enjoyed the show while sitting and talking at tables with friends and family and being served food by student volunteers.

Becky MacCloud, a senior at MRHS from Tinton Falls, who has been to the last four Jazz Nites, said, "I love Jazz Nite. The players are sexy and the music is excellent."

Her friend, Isaac Borland, a senior from Eatontown, added, "There is much musical fusion; it is the most joyous night ever."

Jazz band alumna and alto saxophone player Christina Falcone said, "I like hearing all the old songs. They are the classics. The jazz band definitely has improved since the winter concert."

In a reportedly rare bout of praise, even Romano said, "It's a shame we don't have more venues, because for a high school band we are something that people can remember and be happy about and be proud about.

"It is unbelievable. Everybody should be pleased. At one point, we didn't have any trombones, and now, the band is full, and all the students are worthy of participating," he added.

Jazz Nite was a major fundraising event as well as an opportunity for the band to perform, said parent volunteer Stacy Slowinski, who explained that revenue from this year's event would mostly go toward next year's band trip to Florida.

"I think the band is wonderful. They took first at the State Teen Arts competition this year and went to Pennsville last week for a competition [where they received superior ratings]. Next week, they will be hosting their first competition. It will be a new thing for the jazz band to perform at Disney World next year," she said.

Jazz Nite was a collaboration between parents, student volunteers, local businesses and the band.

Dozens of volunteers put in a lot of work to allow Jazz Nite to occur this year, said Patti Poole, a parent volunteer.

"That was the best thing - there were so many people helping. There were parents in the kitchen, parents helping with the silent auction, kids walking around serving food. We sent letters on school stationary to local businesses asking for sponsorships and donations. It only cost us about $350," said Poole.

In an e-mail, Slowinski wrote that Jazz Nite "grossed over $2,600, with the auction bringing in $800. Not too shabby for our first silent auction."

Next up for the band is their first hosted jazz competition on May 3, during which bands from all over Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex counties will play and be adjudicated in the MRHS Performing Arts Center.

The band, featuring vocalist Hauge, also plans to play at Borders bookstore in Eatontown on the evening of May 16.

"[The Borders performance] is a fundraiser," Roman said. "The venue is excellent because it's kind of a coffeehouse venue, and Borders is gracious enough to have us come back again. It's another opportunity to play and show off, because that's what we do best."

Ten percent of any purchases made at any time during the day at the store will be donated to the MRHS music department.