Students and teachers of the Carlos Gomes State Institute celebrate World Jazz Day

On the last day of IECG Jazz Week, students and teachers held the closing presentations of the week commemorating World Jazz Day, celebrated annually on April 30. Throughout the program, artistic groups composed of students, alumni, teachers, and guests interpreted different works related to the genre, as well as their own repertoires.

During the event, which took place on April 28, 29, and 30, in the Ettore Bosio Room, the audience watched the performance of the Nelson Neves Trio on Monday. The group performed songs by Johnny Mandel, Jule Styne, and the professor Nelson Neves himself, who is part of the teaching staff at the Carlos Gomes State Institute.

One day earlier, on Tuesday (29), the Caxangá Quintet, a group invited to participate in Jazz Week, performed. The quintet presented a varied repertoire, featuring works by Sebastião Tapajós, Dominguinhos, Gilberto Gil, among others.

At the closing of Jazz Week, the audience watched two performances. The first was by Professor Ricardo Smith, who invited to the stage of the Ettore Bosio Room the musicians: Professor Daniel Veira (piano), Professor Érico Veríssimo (trumpet), and Tamara Almeida (percussion).

The last performance of the event was the so-called Jam Session, which is a session of improvised music. Students and teachers played together, interacting and experimenting with collaborative musical creativity, facilitated by this type of jazz performance.

According to trumpet professor Érico Veríssimo, who coordinated Jazz Week at IECG, the program "is of great importance for various reasons, both pedagogical and cultural and social, as Jazz Week reinforces the musical progress of students regarding the genre we address, encouraging them to investigate and understand how various musical traditions impact contemporary music," says the professor.

As Professor Érico indicates, "the presence of professional musicians live encourages students to deepen their studies in this musical genre," he concludes.

Jazz emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a response to the significant influence of African and European music, establishing itself as a universal language that fosters exchange among diverse cultures.

For student Julyana Souza (22), being able to watch the performances with the teachers was very special. "Today's performance was incredibly beautiful, just like the other performances of this jazz week. It was an exceptional musical experience," commented Julyana, who is pursuing a bachelor's degree in music with a focus on percussion.

Regarding the jazz genre, Julyana explains how she has been working on rhythm within percussion. "My first contact with jazz started this year, in the bachelor's course with Professor Nelson Neves, and I already feel more familiar with this style. Jazz has rich elements within percussion," observes the student.

World Jazz Day is celebrated on April 30 and was established by the United Nations in 2011. In Belém, the approval of the Municipal Jazz Day Law was published in 2023, highlighting the closeness that local musicians have with the genre.

For the superintendent of the Carlos Gomes Foundation, Gabriel Titan, "celebrating World Jazz Day is yet another opportunity for students and the public in general to experience cultures, music, and knowledge, also contributing to a more complete musical education," says the superintendent.