Department of Music

• Monday, March 30th, 2009
• Gravity Lounge
• 8:00pm
• Free

First inspired by modern Jazz players' arrangements of contemporary popular songs, Weaver decided to showcase songs by those artists that are particularly important to him. Each tune represents a significant part of Weaver's own musical history. Selections range from tunes composed or influenced by modern day Jazz artists to those by modern popular groups such as Radiohead and No Doubt. "I wanted to highlight the evolution of my musical tastes and convey the breadth of musical genres that have melded together into my sound today," says Weaver.

The "evolution" reveals itself as the sets progress. The first half starts with songs that are representative of musical genres that Weaver was listening to from when he first picked up the alto saxophone in middle school through the end of his high school years, while the second set embodies what he has absorbed in college. Listeners will be able to hear general thematic shifts and, in the end, should understand how the progression was "almost natural," according to Weaver.

Aside from including original arrangements of popular songs, the concert will also feature songs written or influenced by certain individuals whose compositional and playing styles have also been important to Weaver. "I did not only want to pay tribute to the pop artists I enjoy listening to," explains Weaver, "that would not be fair to the Jazz players that I am into, and excluding them would create a huge hole in the story of my personal musical development. It would be as if the history textbooks forgot about the American Revolution."

Members of the Congregation are friends and cohorts of Weaver's from his years at the University. The core group consists of members from his working group, Murph and the Magic Tones, including Pete Cobos (keyboard), Brett Jones (guitar), Dhara Goradia (bass), and Jack Kilby (drums). Expect also to see appearances from many others, including other current members of Murph and the UVA Jazz Ensemble, among others.

The event will be held at Gravity Lounge in the Historic Downtown area starting at 8pm on March 30th. Admission is free and open to the public.

The Congregation is:
Greg Weaver – Saxophones
Tony Robertson – Alto Saxophone
Brandon Walsh – Trumpet and Percussion
Cameron Williams – Trombone
Arin Noble – Flute
Brett Jones – Guitar
Pete Cobos – Piano
Chris Plietz – Piano
Dhara Goradia – Bass
Ryan Gilchrist – Bass
Jack Kilby – Drums
Granville Mullings – Drums