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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Mercyhurst Jazz Band dazzles campus with big-band concert By Victoria McGinty Features Editor
One of the many things society has missed during the pandemic is the ability to enjoy a live performance. Live art is one of our campus’ most valuable attractions due our array of incredibly talented students and professors alike. Fortunately, with the slow process of returning to normalcy, concerts and live performances are starting to be held again. Of the many activities slowly making a comeback, Mercyhurst is thrilled to hold live performances yet again, especially in the various departments whose purpose is to perform. On Nov. 13, the Mercyhurst Jazz Ensemble held its fall concert in the Taylor Little Theater at 7:00 p.m. The concert titled, “It Doesn’t Sound Little,” featured a variety of arrangements that the “smallbut-mighty” ensemble was able to showcase their talents with. Associate professor of Music, Scott Meier Ph.D, was incredibly humbled to direct the showcase of
students in front of a live audience yet again. Due to his students’ incredible talents, Meier was able to choose some difficult and impressive pieces. Meier was eager to feature the following students and their musical talents yet again. The saxophone section featured Willow Lapp (alto saxophone), Dennis Whalen (tenor saxophone) and Cooper Hicks (baritone saxophone). The trumpet sections featured Kirk Morrison and Austin Aldrich with Rebecca “Becky” Ferguson on the trombone beside them. A hearty percussion section rounded out the ensemble featuring Jacob Perry (piano), Shawn Preston (drums), Camryn “CC” Smith (percussion) and Emily McGarvey (bass). The ensemble took on an array of selections with the intent of highlighting the musicians both as a group and for their individual strengths and talents. This is a luxury afforded by the individual talents that each performer possesses. The concert began with Rick Stitzel’s arrangement of “Birdland,”
an upbeat, well-known jazzy arrangement that featured Lapp, McGarvey and Perry on their respective instruments. The second piece, “Dat Dere,” was first made famous by Bobby Timmons in 1960. The ensemble chose to play the Mark Taylor arrangement, which highlights the arrangement’s elements of swing and mystery. This piece featured the remarkable talents of Perry on the keyboard. The third piece, “Speak Low,” which was originally made famous by Kurt Weill in 1943, works with sound dynamics. The Chuck Israels arrangement that the ensemble played highlighted these dynamics perfectly and featured Ferguson, Whalen, Morrison and Perry on their respective instruments. The fourth piece, “Sea Breeze,” was the most laid-back of the arrangements in the ensemble’s repertoire. It was a nice change of pace from the rest of the concert, so it felt well-placed. This Douglas/Norman composition featured Morrison on the trumpet and demonstrated the variations of dynamics and mood
that jazz can take on in many forms. The fifth and sixth arrangements, “Afro Blues” and “The Other Brother’s Mother’s Blues,” however, reintroduced the audience to the other side of jazz, known as blues, that also holds a unique place in music’s history. These arrangements featured Perry, Whalen, Morrison and Ferguson. The concert concluded with John Mills’ arrangement of “Two Finger Punch,” which is a lesser-known piece, but nonetheless a fantastic arrangement to conclude a concert. This enthusiastic piece did not feature any students but demonstrated the talents of each student combined as an ensemble. Meier was humbled and excited to interact with his students and the audience. At many points during the performance, he consistently exclaimed to the audience his gratitude to showcase a concert in a live setting again. “My job is music, and I have the profound privilege to make music every day with amazing students and colleagues. I am deeply
enriched by what I get to do and share with others,” wrote Meier on the concert’s playbill. His students also share the same gratitude. Morrison said, “This performance really demonstrates how tight playing can make a jazz combo sound like a full big band and I am thrilled to share that with an audience again.” The concert was successful and was met with a solid turnout and the audience was responsive to the arrangments and the comedic remarks from Meier. If you missed this concert, the Music Department is always hosting something amazing that you can experience. In the near future the deparment has many events to look forward to. The Small Ensembles concert is set for Dec 1. Follwed by a Mercyhurst Christmas Gala on Dec. 5 and a senior voice recital by Senior Voice major Hayley Ripple to close out the semester on Dec. 12. For more information on what is in the future for the department visit the events page on the university website or reach out to Meier at smeier@mercyhurst.edu.
The 814: Give a Crepe La CrepErie By Mackenzie Zent Staff Writer
Located at 2431 Peach Street, Give a Crêpe La CrêpErie is a great place to stop for breakfast, brunch or a quick snack! Not only is their name creative, but they have a great selection of food, too. They offer a variety of delicious crepes on their menu, both sweet and savory. They currently offer seven savory crepes and five sweet crepes, as well as an option to create your own! You can choose your “base” of Nutella, caramel, whipped mousse or fruit du jour, and then decide what other toppings you want such as strawberries or bananas. Each sweet crepe is then topped with powdered sugar to finish it off. Something I was intrigued by is that they make their own homemade cinnamon caramel sauce and homemade lemon curd. A lot of businesses will just buy sauces and things like that pre-made, but knowing they go the extra mile to give their customers the best experience shows that they care. I wanted to try the banana and caramel crepe, but they were out of bananas when I went; so, I had the Nutella and strawberry crepe instead, and I really enjoyed it. When you order, they ask if
Mackenzie Zent photo
Nutella and strawberry crepes from Give a Crepe La CrepErie.
you want them to be vegan or gluten-free, which is great for customers who may have allergies or dietary restrictions. From what I understand, every crepe they serve can be made to be gluten-free or vegan. Unlike most restaurants, they have gluten free and vegan batter available all the time, so this makes Give a Crêpe more unique and more accommodating for people who may struggle eating
out with dietary restrictions. They even take measures to avoid cross contamination, so people with Celiac and similar conditions are still able to get a delicious crepe. The inside is set up so customers can watch the employees make their crepes right in front of them, which is really cool. While customers are waiting for their crepes, they can browse through other items they sell like
shirts and sweatshirts with their logo on them, organic soap, lip balm, lip scrubs, stickers and more. One downside to the restaurant is that there is nowhere to eat inside. Customers have the option to either take their crepes to go, or they can take their crepes to the coffee shop next door, The Tipsy Bean. When you take their crepes to
The Tipsy Bean, they are on disposable plates, which isn’t great for the environment, so that was a little disappointing. Another thing to keep in mind is their hours. They are only open from 10a.m. until 2p.m. (every day except Monday). When I found this out, I thought it was strange that a breakfast place is only open for four hours of the day and not any earlier than 10a.m. All of the employees were really friendly and made me feel welcome. They are excellent with customers and are willing to go above and beyond to make our experience memorable. I noticed that a lot of customers were regulars, as the employees knew their orders already. It was nice to see how much they cared about their customers and how kindly they interacted with them. Give a Crêpe La CrêpErie has something everyone will like! It is a fun experience getting to watch them make your food in front of you, and it is a great breakfast restaurant to try if you are gluten-free or vegan. Make sure you stop in and try it for yourself! For more information about Give a Crêpe La CrêpErie you can visit their website of follow them on social media @giveacrepe.
