NENJI YILPET | senior staff writer


photos | NENJI YILPET
Sophomore music major Shawn Morones plays guitar while senior music major Teryn Carter sings.


Students gather for a night of jazz, coffee and friends in the Cougar Dome.

“Wade in the water. Wade in the water, children. Wade in the water. God’s gonna trouble the water.”

Sophomore sociology major Deanna Wilson sang these words with a crystal-clear voice in between playing the saxophone to the African-American spiritual, “Wade in the Water” during the Jazz Coffeehouse on Thursday, Oct. 18.

About 40 students seated at candle-lit tables in the dim lighting of the Cougar Dome swayed and sang along to Wilson’s opening performance of the evening.

“Gospel jazz is my favorite genre of music to play. When I am playing it is like an outer-body experience,” Wilson said after her performance. “When I play I am not technically thinking about the notes, but I just let my body flow with it.”

Throughout the evening, students sipped on coffee and snacked on cookies as they fellowshipped while listening to bands and singers perform jazz music.

“The goal of coffeehouses are to bring to light different cultural arts and diversity,” junior psychology major and Communiversity series intern Brittany Barron said. “Jazz is a great story of cultural art because it is the first true American art form. We are here to celebrate where jazz came from and where it is now.”

Barron planned the evening and was the master of ceremonies for the coffeehouse.

Students talked, ate, cheered and relaxed while jazz music was performed for their entertainment.

“St. Louis Blues,” “Blues for Alice,” “So What” and “Take Five” were among the 11 songs junior music major and saxophone player Jonathon Proctor and junior music major and base player Josiah Morry played along with a band.

The two call themselves “Concoda.” They played traditional music and one original piece called “And Then One Day” throughout the first half of the evening.

“Josiah and I started our group because we both love jazz but we didn’t get very much time to play it,” Proctor said. “When I play jazz, I just want it to feel right. As long as it feels right it is right.”

The instrumental music of the evening primarily came from a band made up of all music majors including senior pianist Ryan Skiles, freshman trombonist Zachary Pattison, senior drummer Robert De Long, sophomore guitarist Shawn Morones, junior cellist James Middleworth and trumpeter Brian Keetch. The band has played together for a little over a year.

“This music makes me feel happy,” sophomore bio-chemistry major Ryan Ring said. “A friend invited me so I came along, I am glad I did.”

Halfway through the evening, senior sociology major Tammi Terrell performed spoken word.

The words she recited were her original creations about stages she has journeyed through during her life.

When Terrell finished the audience applauded heavily and shouted praises in response to her performance.

“My highlights of the evening were Tammi’s spoken word and the fact that I was able to be here with my friends,” junior social work major Dacia Taleni said.

All eyes were glued on senior music major Teryn Carter as she sang with the band during the second half of the evening.

Carter’s voice rang out in the room as she swayed while performing songs such has “Embraceable You,” “Penny’s from Heaven” and “Where Have all the Love Songs Gone.”

Carter has been singing jazz for about three years.

“When I sing jazz I forget everything—worries and thoughts—I let the music unfold me and I try to communicate what I feel to the audience,” Carter said. “I love jazz music because every time you sing a song it has a different meaning. You can sing it differently, whereas anything else you have to sing it the same way over and over. You can interpret it [jazz] however you want to.”

Dancing in the back of the room with her mom, sophomore political science major and commuter Genessis Holguin moved to the beat of “My Funny Valentine” as Carter sang.

“I came tonight with my mom because I love jazz,” Holguin said. “I also love the lights and the calm atmosphere of the room.”

The evening concluded with Barron announcing upcoming coffeehouses.

The spring coffeehouse sneak previews include a Spoken-word Coffeehouse on January 24, BSA Coffeehouse, and Empowering Women coffeehouse.

“Coffeehouses are for students to hear and experience something that they may not hear on a daily basis,” Barron said. “It’s a chance for students to be in community and fellowship and enjoy the arts.”