Artistes jazz it up

Over 150 music lovers were treated to an experience that was part performance, part lesson and part jam session at the annual Christmas Jazz workshop hosted by the U.S. Embassy yesterday evening.at the Dining Club in Newton, Christ Church.
Keyboardist Bobby Lyle led the workshop, supported by bass man Melvin Davis, guitarist Rob Bacon, saxophonist Eric Darius, percussionist Lenny Castro, keyboardist Deron Johnson and drummer and Georgia State University adjunct professor Sonny Emory.
Embassy Deputy Public Affairs Officer Rachael Zaspel pointed out that this was the fifth straight year that the Embassy had sponsored the workshop. She noted that jazz was both a “quintessentially American music and an excellent example of music as a universal language” which enables cultural diplomacy.
The Dining Club’s conference room was packed as the musicians, music teachers and students, and general music enthusiasts eagerly took the opportunity to listen and learn from the musicians who have toured with Earth, Wind and Fire, Anita Baker, Chaka Khan and others.
The musicians shared out practical tips on techniques and arranging, as well as heartfelt advice on the need for aspiring musicians to develop their own style, with Lyle noting that a musician’s personal style “can carry you anywhere you go in the world.”