I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to spend the evening watching Jazzmanix perform in their final concert of the year and what an end to the year it was. A mixture of a cappella small groups and full choir it was an incredibly enjoyable evening of entertainment and proves how much talent there is at the University of Southampton.
The evening started with four a cappella small groups lead by the society’s assistant musical directors. First up was Quintessential lead by Greg White flawlessly performing Glasgow Love Theme and an audience favourite the Michael Buble medley. Nove, lead by Ore Williams and Grace Shutti, bought together a group of very talented women performing three exceptional numbers. The Alternotives bought a cappella with a twist performing Gorillaz hit 19-2000 and their originally named Alternotives Mash-up. The highlight of the small groups however was Entr’acapella lead by Becky Griffin who smashed their a cappella rendition of With You from Ghost and a mixture of songs from musical hit RENT. What surprises me is how easy the performers make it look, hitting notes with no accompaniment, credit needs to be given to the AMDs who have produced some fantastic talent.
The second part of the evening involved the 100 strong main choir singing a mixture of pop and gospel. I don’t want people to be put off by the mention of gospel music, for many people the assume this means preaching but Jazzmanix pull of gospel music beautifully and is something everyone can enjoy, Father, Father being a particular highlight. The true highlight of the main choir however was their Bruno Mars medley which had the whole audience singing and moving to Uptown Funk. The stand out soloist of the evening was definitely Liv Chant who effortlessly moved through If I Ain’t Got A Natural Woman. My only criticism comes from the sound levels, often the band were somewhat overpowering but they were a fantastic addition to the second half.
It would be wrong not to mention the fantastic work of Joe Nurse, it is clear in the performance of the choir just how much effort he has put in to the group and Jazzmanix is losing an exceptional member this year and whoever takes his place has some very big shoes to fill.
This was an exceptional night of entertainment and it’s a shame it only ran for one night. Get yourself along to the next Jazzmanix concert, you won’t regret it.
