Gator Tail and guest liven up the night
WSU jazz quartet and pianist Teo Ciavarella performer for Faculty Artist Series
JESSICA HARJA | The Daily Evergreen
Members of the WSU School of Music faculty play in the jazz quartet, Gator Tail, during an artist series on Tuesday at Kimbrough Concert Hall.
September 14, 2017
Even on a weeknight, there is still room for exciting events on campus.
The School of Music’s faculty ensemble Gator Tail performed Tuesday in the Kimbrough Concert Hall as a part of the Fall 2017 Faculty Artist Series.
Gator Tail has performed in these events for the past few years. They are a quartet consisting of Greg Yasinitsky, Brian Ward, Brad Ard and David Jarvis.
Greg Yasinitsky, director of the WSU School of Music, plays the tenor saxophone for Gator Tail.
“It’s jazz, but it has elements of blues and funk music,” Yasinitsky said, describing the genre of Gator Tail’s music.
The members of Gator Tail write songs individually for the entire band to play. Sometimes, a song is dedicated to a single person, such as Brad Ard’s song for his wife.
Other times, the composer may dedicate a song to a current event. Yasinitsky wrote a song in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; he said he was inspired by the hurricane that had just struck not long before. He said that the song fits equally well with more the recent hurricanes in Texas and the Florida Keys.
Gator Tail’s usual quartet welcomed a special guest performer on the night of their Faculty Artist Series show. Teo Ciavarella, a jazz pianist from Bologna, Italy, joined the group in their performance.
Special Guest Teo Ciavarella, a jazz pianist from Italy, will be performing in a solo concert today from 8 – 10 p.m. at Kimbrough Concert Hall. Tickets are free and program will include self-composed music and rearrangements.
The School of Music invited Ciavarella to WSU with the support of Allegro, a student-run organization for music advocacy. Allegro has been at WSU for four years.
“We petition for funding from the ASWSU,” Allegro President David Berry said. “If we get funding – and we’ve been very fortunate these past few years – we get to bring in guest artists like Teo.”
Outside of the Faculty Artist Series, Ciavarella will be featured as a soloist in a guest recital from 8 – 10 p.m. today in the Kimbrough Concert Hall.
The Fall 2017 Faculty Artist Series will continue bringing in performers through Oct. 19.
