BYU-Hawaii’s newly organized Street Band premiered in a shared concert with the North Shore Symphonic Wind Orchestra in a unique experience and fun evening, according to students.
Dr. Daniel Henderson, a first year music professor who specializes in jazz, created the band this semester. Henderson, the founder of Harvard’s jazz curriculum, said the band plays music based off of early American street bands in the southern United States. The band played songs that originated from the south, primarily New Orleans, such as “Bourbon Street Parade.”
The band started their performance marching in a dance-like fashion down the aisle ways of the auditorium, dressed in bright colors and hats, playing a song called “Funky Brass Line” which was composed by a student member of the band, Josh Mason.
Henderson said he first started the band to encourage students to create their own compositions and arrangements. The Street Band primarily played a mixture of southern gospel and jazz music including a traditional, gospel funeral song called, “Just a Closer Walk With Thee.” The band played a custom arrangement of the LDS Hymn, “Guide Us O Thou Great Jehovah” and ended the show with a New Orleans jazz arrangement of “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
Jasmine Tuckett, a math education major from Texas, said she loved the band’s performance and was excited for their future performances. Tuckett’s fiance, Kainalu Barino, a senior from Kauai majoring in education, said he goes to a lot of the musical performances but the Street Band’s performance had a different, fun, and cool atmosphere.
Henderson said that because the Street Band is new, they are open to performing in anything. “Big events, festivals, street fairs, on campus or just marching around, anything.” He said the band’s purpose is open.
“Anyone who wants to join us should, no matter what they play,” Henderson added. “You don’t have to have a jazz background to come play with us. We’d be happy to have anything from a flute to a bassoon to a cello. Come join us.”
Daniel Malinconico a post baccalaureate senior from New Jersey who studied cultural anthropology, said he doesn’t miss any performance from the Music Department. “I liked the Street Band’s performance,” he said. “I guess this was the first time the Street Band was going on so I thought some of the songs were well done and some were put on more, I think, for fun rather than to display any musical talent or prowess.”
Writer: Mikaela Gray