Eastern Illinois University Jazz band hosted their final ensemble of the year on Tuesday and was expected to put on a show for the audience. The final ensemble showcased many solos from those in the band and applauses from the audience was constant throughout the concert during these solos.

The band performed pieces including Nostalgia in Times Square by Charles Mingus and Peri’s scope by Bill Evans. Audience members seemed impressed by the band and for some it changed their overall perspective on band.

Joseph Percy, a freshman theatre major, felt that the jazz performance had an impact on how he saw music. “Honestly I am not much of a jazz band fan, but hearing this performance defiantly did remind me of how I used to love music in middle school,” he said.

He came into the performance expecting nothing and was not aware of how much he would enjoy the performance.

“Like I said, Jazz really does not interest me but I’m glad I got proven wrong tonight,” Percy said.

The performance had a huge meaning for the jazz band with this being their last performance. Many people decided to show up and show their support for this event. The crowd was very energetic with a display of applauses throughout.

The members of the band were amazed to hear this energy from the crowd.

David Whatcott, a sophomore engineering major, was a part of the jazz band performance and was one of the members to perform a solo.  He was very pleased about the turnout of the event.

“It was pretty good, it looked like the whole auditorium was full” Whatcott said.

Whatcott’s trumpet solo gave the audience a real spark as he brought the audience four different solos throughout the night.

“I wanted my solos to sound as good as possible, I wanted to make sure I highlighted the band in a good way” Whatcott said.

With Eastern going on strike, the band had to work harder due to the limited time and less practice for the final performance.

The strike lasted almost two weeks and not only were students grades affected, but also those in extracurricular activities.

“The strike made things very difficult for us, we lost like a week of rehearsal, but I think we ended up pulling through pretty well,” Whatcott said.

The jazz band will be looking to continue these types of performances next year.

Rashaad Jones can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].