ELAC jazz festival entertains audience

JAZZ IT UP—Lead guitar Caleb Quaye, Charles Williams on keyboard, drummer Doug Mathews and bassist Robert "Pee Wee" Hill keep the audience lively with a performance at the Performing and Fine Arts Center. CN/Edward Singleton

By Justine Quintana

A lively performance by Caleb Quaye and the Faculty had the audience at the Performing and Fine Arts Center on the edge of their seats last Friday night. The event showcased talented musicians playing a wide range of music from the band’s original songs to covers such as “The Ocean” by Led Zeppelin.

The set of 14 songs drew in a 40-plus crowd for the intimate performance, keeping audience members entertained as hands clapped throughout the night. “It was definitely grooving,” Beatriz Tasha Magana, ELAC student, said.

The four-piece band features Caleb Quaye on lead guitar, Charles Williams on keyboard, Doug Mathews on drums and Robert “Pee Wee” Hill on bass. The band played tune after tune, captivating the crowd to the very end. “We never quite play exactly the same way twice,” Quaye said.

Not only were the audience members pleased with the performance, so were the band members. Quaye commented about how satisfying the acoustics in the S2 Recital Hall were. “From a musicians standpoint and a listeners standpoint, this is a good sounding room. It’s very accurate,” Quaye said.

Along with the monthly First Friday jazz concerts, there are also more concerts coming to ELAC in December. The ELAC jazz band will be performing Dec. 2. It will be, as Robert Dawson, ELAC music director and teacher said, a “Christmas extravaganza.”

Also, on Dec. 5, there will be a choir concert. On Dec. 18, there will be an orchestra performance. For a list of upcoming performances by Caleb Quaye and the Faculty or to read up on their bio, visit www.reverbnation.com/calebquaye.

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