Student Digital Life was pleased to host Jazz in the Lab this past Friday, November 7, in the Computing Center at Cox Hall. The event opened with a brief performance that included Director of Jazz Studies Gary Motley on the piano and Jazz Artist Affiliate Chris Riggenbach on the double bass. [Ed. Note: click the links above to meet Gary and Chris.]
Following Gary’s introduction, two Emory Jazz Combos took center stage, featuring students from the Jazz Studies program. The Thursday Combo, an ensemble directed and accompanied by Riggenbach, performed first and included Jakob Perryman and Hemanth Venkatesh on alto sax, Saiganesh Ravikumar on guitar, and Logan Miller on the drums. The Tuesday Combo, directed by Jazz Artist Affiliate Justin Chesarek, finished out the event and included Neel Ghosh on alto sax, Erica Deloney on piano, Logan Miller on guitar, Nick Mirza on drums, and Jazz Artist Affiliate Dishan Harper on bass.
Jazz in the Lab has a long history at the Computing Center. Part of the Department of Music’s 2004 “Art in Unexpected Places” program, Jazz in the Lab began as a monthly series and remained a regular offering for several years, although the Computing Center hadn’t hosted such an event since before its 2010 expansion. Student Digital Life was pleased to work with Professor Motley to bring back Jazz in the Lab and hopes to have additional performances in the spring.
Friday’s event proved to be a great success, with a sizeable crowd of friends, fellow students, curious onlookers, and Student Digital Life staff packing the Computing Center’s gallery.
Of course, the event could not have been such a success without the commendable efforts of the Student Digital Life team. Special thanks go to Haynes Chewning and Robin Horton for helping to purchase and transport refreshments for the event and for staying until the end to help with cleanup. Special thanks also go to student staff Taqwa Elmubarak and Howard Su for setting up and maintaining the refreshments table and to Alfredo Takori, Edouard Wemy, and Tim Yim for staying late to ensure the Computing Center was picture perfect after the event.