On Thursday, April 23, the Cherry Hill West annual “Evening of Jazz” took place in the Cherry Hill West auditorium at 7 pm. This concert featured 10 charts performed by the Jazz and Lab Bands. Each of these pieces featured an assortment of soloists.

The first piece was a song entitled “Blue Birdland,” composed by Jimmy Giuffrie. This was a combined piece, allowing seniors from both Jazz and Lab Band to have the opportunity to perform a solo. 

Afterwards, Lab Band performed four pieces, which included “Mamacita,” composed by Joe Henderson; “Groove Merchant,” composed by Jerome Richardson; “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” composed by Duke Ellington; and “Loose Canon,” composed by Paul Murtha. 

The Jazz Band also performed four pieces. These included “Samba del Gringo,” composed by Gordon Goodwin; “Mack the Knife,” composed by Kurt Weill featuring Tony Meccariello as a vocalist; “Riverscape,” composed by Fred Sturm; and “Cut the Cake,” composed by a group called “Average White Band.”

The last piece was a combined piece entitled “Cold Duck Time,” composed by Eddie Harris. Along with “Blue Birdland,” this is a song of tradition, so it’s performed every year. This piece featured a variety of soloists.