Jazz night new and improved for spring

Tuesdays have long been host to the high energy, movin' and groovin' vibes of Jazz Night, but the ugly truth is plain and simple—most students have got to hit the books hard early in the week.

After the fall semester, Jazz Night President Toby Sola '13 realized Tuesdays were not always conducive to the wild dance parties he strives to deliver. Thus, Sola made an executive decision to switch things up for the spring and transplant the event to Thursday, the virtual start of the weekend. "We're dropping Tuesday," said Sola, adding, "It's pretty obvious that Thursday night is prime real-estate for live music and fun times on campus."

With weekend freedom clear on the horizon, Thursday nights should bring just the type of crowd Sola wants. "It's a great night because people are ready to party and their energy is perfect. They will stay until the very end, and they'll be able to chill with the band afterwards," Sola said.

Though No-ViCE has traditionally filled the Thursday night slot, Sola recognizes the similarities between Jazz Night and No-ViCE and hopes the organizations will be able to coordinate and share that coveted ‘prime real-estate.' "We both have very similar budgets and we both bring live music to campus for people to enjoy," said Sola.

Sola also plans to change the frequency of shows. In the past, Jazz Night has brought outside bands almost every week. No doubt a ton of great acts have graced the stage of the Mug; however, Sola feels that booking fewer bands will make each show much better. "There will be more time to do publicity, more time to build hype, and people will be more eager. It'll concentrate the fun, and shows will be ever more magical, danceable and memorable," he said.

To reach this conclusion, Sola employed an almost economic framework: "The supply of shows was huge and attendance got kind of low towards the ends of the semester. Having fewer shows this semester will be great because when supply goes down, the price goes up, even if the demand stays the same," he explained.

In addition to the planning and sweet anticipation made possible by hosting fewer shows, Sola also promises some of the best entertainers yet. This past Tuesday marked the last old-school Jazz Night, during which Organ Yank, a genre-defying band from Oberlin College, hit the stage with their jazz-inspired tunes.

The first new and improved Jazz Night will go down tonight from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. in the Mug. Dopapod will christen the scene with their funk, trance, rock and dubstep musical fusio. On Feb. 17, the Chicago Afrobeat Project will come to Vassar. The group combines funk, rock, jazz, Afro-Cuban and high life into one high-energy act nominated as the Best African Artist in the Chicago Music Awards of 2004 and 2006.

Aside from the outside bands, Sola also hopes to give some on-campus bands opportunities to play. These shows, however, will be held on Tuesday nights, simply because students are more willing to abandon work in support of their friends. "It's easier to get a crowd on a Tuesday with a student band because there's more incentive," Sola said.

Perhaps the most exciting part on the Jazz Night makeover is the big Jazzfest Sola has in the works for late spring. "We're doing a big festival, tentatively April 9. That'll be music all day and outdoor fun times up in the South Commons. I'm hoping to feature some art installations, food from local vendors, activities like three-legged races and sack races, and drum circles in between acts," he explained.Sola wants to bring Rubblebucket as the festival headliner. Last year, Rubblebucket charmed the Jazz Night crowd by parading theatrically through the audience.

Jazz Night held festivals in 2005 and 2006, and Sola wants to revive the idea this year. "I decided to go big or go home; do something crazy. I know kids will love it," he said.

Most Vassar students adhere strongly to the age-old expression, "work hard and play hard." Moving Jazz Nights to Thursday will allow everyone to take care of academics without worrying about missing out, while also getting totally pumped about the near-weekend shows. Sola expects the revamped Jazz Night to be better than ever, with a greater turn out, higher energy and as always, 100 percent dance-ability.