Thomas's Jazz Recital

On Sunday Thomas had the great fortune to play two songs with members of the Levine Jazz Quintet. Here we see Thomas with Bob Sykes on piano, Pepe Gonzalez on bass and Ian Sikora on drums. This fantastic opportunity had been arranged by Thomas's saxophone teacher Dr. Noah Getz (who is also a member of the Quintet) and the Levine School of Music. Instead of a traditional jury at the end of the semester, the students of the Quintet members had the possibility to play in a real live setting. This was simply a fantastic experience for everyone. I can't count the number of juries we have taken Benjamin, Kristina, and Thomas to over the years, but this was by far the most enjoyable one. The chance to play with real, professional musicians lifted the performance of every participant, and I am sure all of them felt very proud of themselves after the performance. The ''jury'' part consisted mostly of well deserved praise and a few pointers in which areas to improve. In a traditional jury, the poor child is left alone in front of three faculty members who criticize their performance. Thank you to Dr. Getz and the Levine Jazz Quintet for arranging this wonderful Sunday afternoon! In the videos below you can judge for yourself.

In this video, Thomas plays Song For My Father by Horace Silver......


... and in this one Watermelon Man by Herbie Hancock.