by Harold
There are probably five living jazz artists that I can name outside of the Late Show/Late Night band leaders. One of them is saxophonist Sonny Rollins, who came to UNC tonight. I know it was a big event because there are basically two couples we know in Chapel Hill, and we ran into both of them.
Despite being 79 and severely hunched over, Rollins and his six-person band played straight through for 90 minutes. I honestly have no idea what he played — he only introduced the first song, which of course had a foreign title so I couldn’t even understand it — but it was great.
The only awkwardness came at the end, when the crowd spent literally five minutes applauding, anticipating an encore, until the house lights finally came on and there was a big groan from the crowd. It was the first time I can remember that a musical act didn’t come out for an encore. Good for him, when you’re 79 you can do what you want. In fact, I respect him more.
I hope this is the start of a new trend. No more encores. The final song of the regular set is always the best one anyway. There’s nothing dumber than everyone applauding forever, the band finally comes back on, plays a weird cover or B-side, and now that’s the song in your head when you leave, not the big finale.
Carolina Performances are only $10 for students (and a guest), so you can anticipate many more reviews in the future (up next: Bela Fleck).
If you’re not a UNC student, here’s a free recommendation — the Ciompi Quartet Lunchtime Classics. Of course, since it’s free it comes with a caveat — you can’t have a day job.
The Quartet plays a famous piece, and then talks about it. A great way to be introduced to classical music. Of course, there appeared to be possibly one student there. Then again, I didn’t go when I was a student, either, which made me wonder how many other opportunities I missed in my four years at Duke.
I took the Robertson Scholars bus (also free) which goes from UNC to Duke every half hour. That pretty much settles the argument about which college rivalry is best, doesn’t it? Not just the proximity between Duke and UNC, but the respect on both sides. I honestly can’t imagine a Michigan bus being welcomed at Ohio State, or a USC bus going to UCLA. But sure enough, every half hour a UNC bus goes around the circle and stops in front of the Duke Chapel, and no one cares. It also shows you how much valuable stuff there is on both campuses that a bus service would even be needed. And I look forward to reporting on the events from both sides, at least until I get a day job.
Laura
Harold
