Last Monday, the Steady Jazz Ensemble brought high-quality music to an audience of students and family members. With 11 songs on the setlist, the band never tired, giving  a memorable performance.

The St. Edward’s ensemble, under the direction of professor Joey Colarusso,  provided students with lively performances complete with trombones, saxophones, trumpets, rhythm and vocals.

“This is my 13th year as director of Steady. I love working with these students. The people in this group are just magical and it’s a lot of fun,” Colarusso said.

Sophomore Reece Lord described the performance as exceptional.

“I love how the ensemble decided to explore a variety of genres. “Whether it be diverse interpretations of the 12 -bar blues, bossa nova latin music, or pop, they all did an amazing job. “

The vocalists received much applause as they sang their hearts out with the orchestra supporting them. The two vocalists are St. Edward’s students involved in the school’s music program.

The first vocalist, Lucia McMahon, performed “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter,” as made famous by Dave Wolpe. She also performed a lively arrangement of “Sway” in both English and Spanish.

The second vocalist of the night was Sam Johnson, who also showed off his skills as a jazz pianist. Johnson performed “S’Wonderful,” by George and Ira Gershwin. He also proved his impressive range in an audience favorite, “Sweet Georgia Brown.”

“I love performing with this ensemble because the whole vibe is real relaxed. A lot of it is just improv and just throwing down something,” Johnson said. “It is totally nerve racking sometimes, especially ‘Caravan’, but I think it went well.” “Caravan” is an original composition written by Colarusso.

Almost every student on stage got to freestyle their own solo, and each one proved their hard work and talent.

“The most fun part for me is the students’ solos. Those are all improvised on the spot. Just to get to hear everyone’s different personalities come out in those solos, that’s what makes the music really fun to me,” Colarusso expressed.said.

The solos showed each musician’s personality, as alto saxophonist, Grace Ramsden played melodies showcasing her talent and confidence. She was accompanied by tenor saxophonist, Michael Bastone, and baritone saxophonist, Dr. Alan Altimont, who each played exceptional solos as well.

Trumpet players Isabel Prado and Evan Mao proved their skills in the musically challenging composition of “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” as the trombone section, including Patrick Richardson and Henry Duboise, added even more layers to the music. Finally, keeping the rhythm of the music, Kirt Broesche passionately played the drums., Christian Fournier, or “McLovin” as the band calls him, played the bass guitar, and Alan Ancira gave a “face-melting” guitar performance, as Colarusso said.