Jazz takes flight
It might call to mind the overplayed R. Kelly song, but "Spread Your (Jazz) Wings" promises to be an evening of genuine inspiration.
Led by co-directors Tiger Okoshi and Scott Aruda, the Small Jazz Ensemble classes will offer a free concert tonight at 8:00 p.m. in Alumnae Lounge that spreads its wings through an exploration of various jazz styles from '40s-era swing to original compositions by Okoshi himself.
When asked about the title of the evening's program, Okoshi responded that the chosen theme of personal growth was not intended to limit the performers' repertoire. On the contrary, the experimentation and improvisation intrinsic to the genre encourages musicians and listeners alike to form their own interpretations.
Said Okoshi, "Compared to classical music, jazz does not have a specific route to find yourself. Jazz is a form of music that is always moving forward..."
But Okoshi hopes that audience members will each have a unique experience at tonight's concert. When asked what he hoped people will take away from the performance, Okoshi said, "Anything they can imagine."
'Eni'-thing goes
Ever wondered what would happen if Jerry Seinfeld was Albanian?
"Anything Eni" is the answer. This fledgling TUTV sitcom about five friends from diverse backgrounds all trying to cope with college life in the U.S. is described by "Eni" creator/director/co-producer Neil Padover as 'Seinfeld'-esque, and the connection is easy to see.
According to Padover, the show pokes fun at American culture through the eyes of the bumbling Eni (played by sophomore Eni Cani). Padover says that the show "analyzes social etiquette" and satirizes in a lighthearted manner aspects of everyday life that we often tend to gloss over.
The show began as a summertime joke, but a well-timed TUTV advertisement last fall spurred Padover, co-producer Dan Patack, and a sophomore coalition of Jason Perera, Jesse McCormick and Saadon Davis to spend the next four months developing the first episode. It aired to such acclaim that TUTV president senior George Rausch pushed the group to churn out the next episode in just over a month, and the next installation of "Eni" will air this week.
"It's self-conscious writing," said Padover. " It's fun; it's entertaining. And," he added, "it's especially good for Tufts students, because it has a lot of inside jokes and we shoot all over campus."
Padover will officially premiere "Anything Eni" on Thursday, but check TUTV's listings to catch its first airing earlier in the week.
TDC meets contemporary dance, forms TCC
"Buckle your seatbelts, and get ready for an entirely new liberal arts experience," said Professor Alice Trexler, co-director of this Saturday's Tufts Choreographer's Concert.
Unlike most other dance recitals, the TCC features an exciting blend of performing styles ranging from improvisation to student work to instructor arrangements by Trexler herself, co-director Professor Daniel McCusker, and colleagues. All will be set to the innovative tunes of Professor John MacDonald's New Music Ensemble and student composers.
Trexler described the TCC as a "spring fling for the mind," an event that "will offer an experience that is more like being at a museum of contemporary art than at the movies or theater."
Trexler said, "None of these dances were devised to convey specific meanings or ideas, rather they are about dance design, texture, time, juxtapositions, and such formal concerns."
So how is the audience supposed to process all of these new visual and aural experiences? Trexler offered this advice: "Allow the material to evoke images as you wish. Remember that dance is a lot like poetry in that it is connotative rather than denotative - even when meaning is intended."
The TCC will offer just such an experience twice on Saturday night with performances at 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., and admission is free.
--compiled by Kelly Rizzetta
