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Annual NIC jazz event adds a touch of humor

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Annual NIC jazz event adds a touch of humor

Dan Bukvich was on stage, and the audience knew it was in for a treat.

“It’s always fun to play at NIC,” said Bukvich, special musical guest and University of Idaho music professor “[We have] been doing it for 20 years. It’s like coming home.”

Bukvich began to play an improve drum solo. Suddenly, some of his fellow musicians began inspecting his drumset as though something was wrong.

One of them whipped out a tape measure and began to size up the set as Bukvich played, and began shaking his head. He then dashed off stage with a few of the other musicians, and came back, wheeling in monstrous-sized pieces of a drumset fit for Paul Bunyan.

They coaxed Bukvich over to it by leading him with some portable drums. Bukvich faithfully continued his solo all the way over to the oversized drum set and continued on it there as well.

The tape measure was brought out again with more dissatisfied head-shaking, and yet another drum set produced.

This time, the drumset was toy-sized and could possibly be a fit for Alvin the Chipmunk.

The drum journey ended as Bukvich was lead back to the initial, human-sized drumset.  He never missed a beat.

“I knew they [the musicians] had something planned, but I didn’t know what it was,” said Bukvich. “They just told me to go up there and start playing a rhythm.”

Guest performers like Bukvich brought a comic element to the music genre known for improvisation at Jazz NIC, an annual concert event held in the Schuler Performing Arts Center.

Instruments consisted of piano, marimba, saxophone, trumpet, guitar, trombone, trumpets and drums, etc. Song titles ranged from “Hey Jealous Lover,” to “Body and Soul” and “Walking by the River,” to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

Al Gemberling, and Gary Gemberling joined Bukvich to add their own enthusiastic flavor to the lively melodies, dissonance and harmonies that burst forth from the NIC jazz ensemble.

The beat ranged from energetic and upbeat to laid-back and pensive. A joyful onlooker gleefully jives to the rhythm, silhouetted in the doorway and an audience member plays his own set of invisible drums along with the ensemble.

The instrumentalists were also involved in the mood with feet tapping, bodies swaying and heads bobbing. They proudly played their instruments with a flourish and enthusiastic applause periodically rang throughout the auditorium.

NIC jazz ensemble director Terry Jones said that since the special guests have been performing at NIC for so long, that they know the band pretty well.

Once he has the guests’ music selections for the performance, he selects pieces that would round out the concert.

“I try to start with an up-tempo tune, put a variety of different tempos and some Latin in the middle and build to a big finish.  It is kind of like pacing a good story,” Jones said. “My goal is to keep the audience engaged until the very last note.”

Jazz fuses together European, African and Latin music with folks songs, which Jones said created a new musical form.

“Jazz is one art form that we as Americans can completely claim as our own,” Jones said. “[It is] a musical representation of our American culture.”

An NIC student expresses a similar sentiment.
“I think jazz is the most unique form of music I can think of,” said Anthony Moore, 20, psychology major. “It possesses the sensitivity of concert music, the upbeat of pop, and a feeling of great accomplishment when played well.”

Moore has been playing jazz, and more specifically, the trumpet since high school.

Bukvick’s musical mastery and antics continue to delight NIC audiences and help them appreciate jazz music.

“My favorite part of the performance was Dan Bukvich’s percussion solo,” said Moore. “He always does something impressive.

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Hey! I'm Michelle, the Managing Editor for NIC's Sentinel. I love to read mysteries, write, ride horses (only the sane ones), and dance ballet. I was born in Music City, USA and have lived all across the U.S. Now I'm here, writing for the Sentinel. It's pretty cool, you should check it out!

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