Over the course of the school year, a series of concerts are held by the music professors, allowing students to learn by watching and just enjoying the show. For October 12th, the School of Music’s very own Dean Greg Gatien (Jazz Studies, saxophone) took the Lorne Watson stage with Professor Michael Cain (Jazz Studies, piano). The quality of sound in the recital hall that night took Jazz Nights too a whole new level.

Shameless plug here, if you’re interested in attending Jazz Nights they are held at Forbidden Flavours (or Fibs as we like to call it, RIP SUDS) every Thursday night at 10:00 p.m. There you will be able to hear a variety of jazz students perform while you snack and drink your coffee.

Back on track, the concert included popular jazz tunes that really excited the audience to win a grand standing ovation. The music was executed with such pure tone and intention, I’m quite positive that it cleared up my sinuses during flu season (even if that isn’t exactly logical).

Once again, my band-nerd-self scored a front row seat. As the song “Body and Soul” was introduced, I couldn’t help but notice the freshman beside me. The opportunity to hear a professional perform an obvious favourite of his had him ‘fan-boying’. I’m being serious. This was probably exactly how I looked in my freshman year during my first concert featuring Dr. Wood. At the time, I had truly never heard a professional clarinet played live before. It was nostalgic to find the same eagerness in another student later on in my degree.

During the concert, Dean Gatien stepped aside to let Prof. Cain feature one of his own piano compositions. I have been a fan of his music since my freshman year and was brought back to The Lady of the Lake last week for the SOLA concert. I would highly recommend seeking out his originals via CDBaby.com and iTunes. Further information is hosted at the Brandon University website and michaelcain.com.

Both Dean Gatien and Prof. Cain have been great friends for years, and the final tribute song was “A Beautiful Friendship”. Personally, this makes me thrilled to share my own repertoire with my best friends, who yes are pianists. Music is a way of connected the community and building life-long friendships.