Wycliffe Gordon, the world-renown and critically-acclaimed trombone player, captivated Augusta music lovers as he performed with the ASU Jazz Ensemble at Augusta State University.
The show entitled, “Jazz Under The Stars,” featured Gordon, who is an Augusta native, as the guest performer. The Jazz Ensemble made up the accompanying band and served as a solid support for Gordon mesmerizing solos. The show was held as a benefit concert for the Wycliffe Gordon Jazz Scholarship, which all ticket money and donations were given. The scholarship goes to students involved in the Augusta State Jazz Program.
“I consider Wycliffe Gordon the world’s greatest jazz trombonist,” said Rob Foster, a professor of music. “We are fortunate that he is from this area and that he’s been interested in helping further the cause of jazz in Augusta, particularly jazz education.”
The concert, which was directed Foster, began on time to a packed house. The amphitheatre was filled with smooth sounds hailing from trombones, trumpets, saxophones, guitars, drums, and peppy piano samba. The first song of the evening was “St. Louis Blues,” a number that set the tone of the evening with its jazzy rhythm and funky cadence.
Throughout the show, Gordon performed many solos, but never shied away from letting his fellow musicians shine. Each musician in the ensemble had a significant and impressive solo. Foster also said that because Augusta State students don’t have ample opportunities to perform with world-class jazz musicians, like Gordon, the “Jazz Under The Stars,” with the extraordinary musician, is a marvel.
“[Performing with Wycliffe] is a real honor,” said JoBen Rivera-Thompson, a sophomore and communications and Spanish major. “He’s one of the few so talented people on trombone, and it’s rare to see. He makes a trombone sound like a trumpet. Anytime you play with someone at that high of a level, it makes you want to play at that same level.”
As the crowd applauded and whistled after each song performance, Foster took the stage to remind onlookers of the scholarship’s benefits. At one point, Gordon took to the mic and expressed his love for Augusta and his musical vision for the city.
“The scholarship is just the first step,” Gordon said. “There are many things I would like to see happen here. To have a Jazz Studies program here, I’d love to see that happen. I know that has a lot of red tape with it, but no dream was ever realized without having started somewhere. I hope that you enjoy the concert, but know that what you are doing in terms of donating to the scholarship through ticket proceeds is going to a most worthy cause. I’d like to see [Augusta] on the world map, where people from Italy fly to see our festivals, where they fly from Australia to come to our festival, and it can happen.”
Later, Gordon was joined on stage by his sister, Karen Gordon. Their beautiful rendition of “Danny Boy” as a trombone-piano duet captivated the audience, and Gordon allowed his trombone to wail enchanting notes with a plunger as his muffler, reminiscent of heartfelt blues legends.
“He has total command of every note he plays,” said James Wilburn, a sophomore music major. “He knows what he’s going to play as it’s going in his head.”
As the show’s last song played its final notes, the audience applauded and gave Gordon and the Jazz Ensemble a standing ovation. Later, the trombonist signed autographs, took pictures, and spoke graciously to his fans. While Gordon said he currently lives in New York, he is planning to move back to Augusta and help initiate the jazz and music movement he has envisioned for his hometown.
“[Jazz] existed, developed and rose out of something bad in the US, but it’s a culmination and crossing of many cultures, which makes it great,” Gordon said. “It brings everyone together.”