Afterhours cut short
The scheduled “After Hours” performance by a KU vocal Jazz ensemble, directed by Dr. Alan Apple, may not have gone exactly as planned Monday night but nonetheless proved to be an exciting, albeit short, performance.
The ensemble was expected to perform 12 pieces by various jazz artists in the Schaeffer Auditorium but due to issues with lighting and sound (there were no microphones to be found in the auditorium) the ensemble only performed two of its scheduled pieces.
After a 20-minute delay, Apple, accompanied by the 13 ensemble members, announced to a disappointed audience that the show would have to be rescheduled. He said, “We don’t want to set ourselves short. We want to present the best we possibly can.” Before the ensemble and Apple could leave the stage for the night, however, chants from members the audience for “one song!” convinced the ensemble to perform the piece entitled “Chattanooga Choo Choo” by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon.
After finishing the first piece and being cheered on by the audience, the group also decided to perform a second piece entitled “Mack The Knife” by Kurt Weill and Marc Blitzstein.
Dan Mann, sophomore Human Kinetics major and member of the ensemble, said that the group has been working on some of the pieces since last spring and while he was disappointed that they did not get to perform, it was ultimately the best decision for both the group and the audience. He said, “for us to actually sound the best for the audience and ourselves we need to have those microphones.” Junior Music Education major Lauren Munson agreed. “It was kind of a letdown at the time because we were all so amped up to perform,” she said, but it was also a “blessing in disguise. It gives us more time to perfect our show.”
Mann said that the decision to reschedule was made by a vote of the ensemble members along with the guidance of Apple.
Despite the issues with lighting and the complete lack of microphones, the ensemble managed to give a stellar performance. Apple assured the disappointed yet understanding audience that he would work to reschedule the performance for a time in the near future.
