There's something in the air on the Corner. At a certain time in late evening, when darkness has enveloped the shops and restaurants, walk the uneven brick sidewalk past the cobbled drive next to Michael's Bistro. You can almost hear the faint rhythm of swing eighths, the whisper of a crooning singer, the piquant whine of a spirited trumpet. If you haven't heard it yet, spend a night at Michael's on one of their jazz Mondays -- you'll never walk the Corner the same way again.
Whether jazz at Michael's reflects a new phenomenon or simply something that's been happening in different forms for a long time, the student jazz scene is budding at U.Va. And whether you're a jazz lover or a newbie, there's not a better way to spend a Monday night close to Grounds.
Yet, all jazz evenings at Michael's are not equivalent. In fact, what is so interesting about the student jazz "movement" is that it's emerging from two groups of performers simultaneously.
The first Mondays of the month were claimed by The Sharp Five, a group of polished and slick-improvising students from the U.Va. music department who has honed its skills together for several years playing in curricular jazz ensembles. The tight-knit group of mostly fourth years now rehearses once a week and includes trumpet player Andrew Robertson, guitarist Evan Wolf, bassist Taylor Clark, pianist Kait Dunton and drummer Todd Wellons.
Most of the musicians in The Sharp Five got their start in jazz in the same place: U.Va. music professor John D'earth's improvisation workshop. Clark said the class has "a lot of different types of people. Some not-so-serious players and wanna-be serious players start off in that class."
The second group of Michael's performers is comprised of professional jazz singer Stephanie Nakasian, pianist Hod O'Brien and her vocal students. Nakasian teaches non-classical voice lessons to students at U.Va.
Though Nakasian has a busy touring schedule for her own singing, she said making time to sing at Michael's with her students is important for their musical development.
"A lot of these students haven't heard live vocal jazz performances," she said. "I can talk about jazz as much as I want, but until they actually listen to a lot of it and hear it, they're just not going to get it."
Nakasian noted, "there's a certain style that is jazz" that she hopes to instill in her students by performing with them at Michael's.
Nakasian described the vocal jazz performances as a relatively new event in the U.Va. scene, and said she hopes performing at Michael's will expose the community to vocal jazz as well.
On the other hand, performances in the community are nothing new for the students of The Sharp Five. Gigs around town are a common occurrence, as these proficient musicians can pick up and improvise with almost any group that is familiar with jazz. Clark said of various ad-hoc gigs around town, "You just show up and do it."
The group used to gig regularly at Espresso Royale (now Qdoba) on the Corner. The musicians often play for drinks or meals at the venues they play. Trumpet player Andrew Robertson said of local gigs, "It's not a money thing, it's just for fun."
The Sharp Five's performances are also about showcasing themselves as a group that has performed together for a long time.
"We spend all this time playing together and practicing, to not actually get to apply it and put it to good use would be a waste," Clark said.
The impact of student jazz on Corner audiences has been significant. Dunton said of the first instrumental jazz night at Michael's: "It was packed. It was amazing.
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