…And All That Jazz!

Last night my site mate, Owen, and I went to a Jazz concert that was sponsored by the US Government; the tour was titled, Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad. The tour went through Krygystan, Bangladesh, India, and of course, our lovely city of Pavlodar. We were fortunate enough to grab some dinner the night before and meet the quartet in person. They were very friendly, and very American. The myriad of idioms, jokes and, yes, even the occasional fist bump, made me feel completely at ease with the strangers that had come to Kazakhstan to share a bit of their passion with the people here. They did not expect many people the next day; in fact, there hope was for a modest crowd. I knew better though, because anything “American” is sure to be a hit. As I suspected, kids from my American Corner, and hundreds from around the city, came to fill the entire theatre to get a little taste of American Jazz. The embassy woman was kind enough to save us seats in the front row.

When I had met them the night before, the leading name, Paul Beaudry, was a very quiet, reserved man. LaKrista and I instantly liked him; he had a soft demeanor, but he laughed often and always had intelligent conversation at the ready. The others were equally interesting and very pleasant company. So when I headed down to the theatre yesterday, I was curious to see how their personalities would change when playing. My own question was answered the moment the men took the stage. While three of them appeared far more subdued, Paul seemed to light up and show an energy none of us had seen at dinner. You could tell all of them were in their element. They handled their instruments like they might handle infants, with a soft reverence. It seemed as though they had always been meant to play.

I always enjoy going to concerts and observing how each musician handles their art. Some get lost in their own world and forget there is an audience listening. Others engage the crowd and try to involve the theatre. The quartet seemed to do both. The audience absolutely loved the show; during particular solos, a loud and encouraging, “BRAVO!” would erupt from behind me. They applauded at any opportunity, and they cheered when Paul announced the quartet would play an encore. It was nice to see how appreciative the crowd seemed to be over the selections of Jazz that the quartet played; they chose songs from all around the world, including Nicaragua, America and even a song they learned in Kazakhstan.

One of the musicians said something at dinner that stayed with me as I listened to the beautiful harmony on stage. He simply stated, “We’re achieving peace through the use of Jazz.” When I later heard the song he composed, titled, “World Peace,” I believed him.

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You can visit his website at http://www.PaulBeaudry.com for more information. There’s also his blog, at http://beaudrybassjazz.wordpress.com/