For the first time since the start of the pandemic, Grammy-nominated trombonist and bandleader John Fedchock returned to perform at Wofford College with the Spartanburg Jazz Ensemble for the sixth edition of Wofford Jazz Night. 

On Thursday, Feb. 24, in the Leonard Auditorium, they held a concert lasting an hour and a half, composed of original compositions by both Fedchock and members of the band.

Many of the band’s musicians had not played live since the last Wofford Jazz Night, held this time two years ago just before lockdown measures went into effect across the country. With live performances in public with large audiences an impossibility, many had to find other outlets for their creativity and passions. 

“I had to create new avenues, more writing at home as opposed to performing,” Fedchock said.

Fedchock’s career in jazz music spans several decades, and today he works primarily with his own musical group: John Fedchock’s New York Big Band. 

When coming to Wofford, however, he plays alongside local talent in the form of the Spartanburg Jazz Ensemble directed by Dr. Tom Wright.

 Accompanied by the Ensemble, the performance opened with an lively uptempo piece by Fedchock, “Skylight.” This segued into more of a ‘quirky blues’ song, also by Fedchock, called “Hair of The Dog,” a term both Jazz performers and those consumers of alcohol are familiar with. 

After that, they played a more moody piece inspired by Brazilian Bossa nova musician Sergio Mendes, aptly named “Bossa Rio”.

Other highlights included Tom Wright’s “Cetaro Time,” a song inspired by the lazy and tranquil mood of the town of Cetaro in southern Italy, featuring an energetic solo by Wright on the alto sax, and the self-describing “Bop Doo Wah” by ensemble pianist John Moody, who said of the piece that it was named so because he “could not think of a good title”.

With a moderately sized audience, it was a relaxed experience, courtesy of the talented musicians at hand and the event’s organizers here at Wofford. 

The next day, on Friday, Fedchock and the Jazz Ensemble played in downtown Greenville. On Saturday, Fedchock held a master class on techno music.