The jazz band was easily the best jazz I have ever heard. Every single one of them played with enough control to not kill the audience, but freely enough to be purely American Jazz. It was awesome to listen to every single person take a solo in the first piece, the various bari sax solos were beautiful, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there are three musicians celebrating birthdays on the tour. I couldn't imagine a more memorable way to spend a birthday than a band trip to Europe.
Just in case the best jazz band ever was not enough reason to get excited, we also prepared concert music. During rehearsals, it was easy to balance work and fun, and so the vastness of the concert didn't fully sink in until last night. Yes, there were bobbles. Yes, there were mistakes. But that didn't really matter. We gelled as an ensemble, played good music, and I am now ecstatic for what we will do in Germany, because we can only get even better from here.
But now I'm packing. Packing to go half way across the world to experience new cultures, to see the Louvre (because you can't not see the Louvre. You just can't), and most importantly, to make friends that will last a lifetime. Now that we're actually going, I can't wait to get there.
