By:Doreen Lobelle
At precisely 6 p.m. Fortunato welcomed everyone to the show. You-re in for a real treat tonight! he said enthusiastically. And he wasn-t kidding. The junior varsity musicians, The Rebels, started the jazz showcase with Solace, a piano number, and jumped right into It-s All Over Now by Bobby Womack. The audience immediately started tapping their feet, bobbing their heads and moving to the music. A contagious rhythm coursed through the room and the skill of each musician defied their young years.
The Rebels set included pieces by Dizzy Gillespie, W.C. Handy and Booker T. Jones and the audience was in for a real treat when young Jaunita John sang On the Sunny Side of the Street.
Next the Dixieland band, "The Rabblerousers" took center stage where they performed two mind-blowing pieces, Rasin Street Blues and St. James Infirmary. The students included RJ Stretch Pettersen, on clarinet; Marc Mugsy Held, on trumpet; John Bones Polifrone, on trombone; Mike Con man Conerty, on bass; Jason Wiseguy Weisinger, on piano; Danny Hitman Hahl, on tenor sax and Sammy the Bulldog Ubl, on drums. While their music filled the room, the audience was momentarily transported to New Orleans.
Next up was what Fortunato called the cutest group, ÔThe Rascals. Amazingly, with only one or two years of training, these musicians performed like true professionals. The sixth to eighth-graders, played their instruments as if it were second nature to them.
When "The Rascals" finished taking their bows, it was time for a special presentation -- the Memorial Jam Session. Fortunato, along with special guests, including assistant director Jorge Lopez, played some quality jazz pieces, while the students wooped and yelled from the sidelines. When Fortunato showed off his own musical talent, it was no wonder his students are such accomplished musicians.
The final group to perform was The Renegades, -- the oldest students who have been studying with Fortunato for several years. The varsity group played Chick Corea, Lennon & McCartney and Charles Mingus and Jaunita John came back to sing her jazzy rendition of Respect. This top-notch band has been recognized by Lincoln Center as one of the top high school jazz groups in the country for their performances at Jazz @ Lincoln Center.
Sadly, "The Renegades" have to say goodbye to their graduating seniors: Marc Held, Anthony Parlato and David Jones from Lynbrook, John Polifrone from Hewlett, Ben Gaddes from Baldwin, and Sam Ubl from Bay Shore. Another sad goodbye went out to Jorge Lopez and his wife, Susan, who are both members of the National Guard and will be serving in Iraq this summer. The last of the evening was titled Children of the Sanchez, but for that special night Fortunato renamed it, Children of the Lopez.
Viri Pettersen of Rockville Centre is the mother of saxophonist RJ and Brendan who plays trumpet. It was an amazing community experience as well as an amazing educational experience, she said. You could tell it was a labor of love.
Marc Held, a Lynbrook High School senior is a varsity trumpet player. In seventh grade his friends told him about the program and he has been a member ever since. The best thing is, you get treated like a professional and you get real life experience, where everywhere else, you get treated like a student, he said.
Fortunato is very proud of his students. There are a million soccer and lacrosse teams but there-s basically nothing in music for these kids, he said. He fondly speaks about the connection that forms between the older and younger students. You get to see how the older kids support younger kids, he said. The younger kids think they won-t ever be as good as the older kids, but then in three years, they-re playing in the front! Fortunato is a former Lynbrook High School music director, who now works in Mamaroneck, teaching sixth-grade band. Music helped me socially when I was younger, he said. This is something I-ve always wanted to do.
The concerts are dedicated to Fortunato-s wife, Alexandra, who succumbed to cancer just over three years ago. Fortunato, a cancer survivor himself, doinates 30% of the proceeds from the event to the American Cancer Society. He doesn-t just teach his students how to be passionate about music, he also teaches them compassion.
