To be honest, I'm not really a jazz person. I prefer classical music. Something about eighth-note runs that are not straight scare me. I'd never even been to a jazz concert before, and I thought that by recognizing the name Thelonious Monk, I had done more than enough to establish my acknowledgement that jazz was a respectable art form. But I guess I'd never really given it a chance. The Brandeis University Jazz Ensemble's concert led by Prof. Rob Nieske (MUS) on Sunday was a truly great experience for me. The showcase of talent and great jazz made me start searching for some more tunes to listen to when I returned to my dorm that night. The concert was held at the Slosberg Recital Hall, and music stands were arranged in a neat semi-circle, a familiar sight to me. However, the presence of a drum set and two amplifiers was surprising. Then the concert started and I found myself getting lost in the great music. The atmosphere was light and felt less like a concert and more like an informal jam session with people dressed in black. There wasn't any real conducting going on. Nieske would sit in the front row and informally lead the band with occasional hand movements to bring out the next solo player.

Each soloist was incredibly talented and brought his or her own special interpretations to the ensemble, and there's no way that it would be fair to simply pick one out for special mention.

Each group of the first act was comprised of one person on one part. But despite not having the comfort of having a dozen other instruments to hide behind should an instrument be out of tune, the members of the ensembles were quite well in sync with each other both in pitch and pace, though occasionally the tempo seemed to run away from them.

My favorite piece of the night was called "Brilliant Corners" in the second act, a great tune with runs and slick melodies accentuated by a very obvious and in unison arpeggio at the end. The entire Brandeis Jazz Ensemble came out together to play pieces by Thelonious Monk, arranged by Oliver Nelson. The band performed with great ease, and tempo changes kept the excitement coming. The tempo kept running faster and faster until the music grew to such huge proportions that when the music seemed like it could go no further, a resounding jazz chord brought the song to an end.

I was glad that I had given jazz a chance. It's an acquired taste, but the Brandeis Jazz Ensemble gives the music life and makes it fun for all to listen.