The Bailey Performance Center showcased the performance of “Melody in Nede,” a piece that displays the talents of artist-in-residence Tyrone Jackson.
An artist-in-residence is a musician or artist who is given a studio and somewhere to live at a university for a set period of time. This semester, Jackson is the jazz artist-in-residence at Kennesaw State University.
“Melody in Nede” tells the story of four musicians who discover Melody a woman who represents the most important element of music. Brother Tyrone and Brother Luke find themselves at odds as they compete for the love of Melody.
The ensemble consisted of Jackson on piano, KSU professor Luke Weathington on alto saxophone, KSU professor Marc Miller on bass, Justin Chesarek on drums and Suzanne Smith-Wigfall as the narrator.
The set begins with a song entitled “Friends and Brothers,” which portrays a lively relationship between the characters in the story.
Melody is not only the name of the lead female character in “Melody in Nede,” but also the name of the pinnacle piece of the entire set. It characterizes the beautiful, desirable woman that Brother Luke and Brother Tyrone love.
This story line is then represented through other songs including “The Deal With The Devil,” in which Brother Luke had to choose between Brother Tyrone or Melody, “Battle for Melody,” the title of which speaks for itself and “Anguish” in which Brother Tyrone expresses his sadness. All of this leads up to the epic of the record, “The Battle Royale.”
“The Battle Royale” is a song in which Weathering and Jackson go head-to-head. It provides an intensity to the set through the confrontation between the Brother Tyrone and Brother Luke.
The set ends with “Reconciliation” which shows Brother Tyrone and Brother Luke reconciling and deciding to continue their passion for playing music instead of fighting over Melody. The song gives a sense of finality to the set, but that’s when the narrator, Smith-Wigfall, states that the story is far from over.
The performance of “Melody in Nede” had a good turnout, filling over half of the seats in the Bailey Performance Center.
