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Baylor has a rich musical scene, and it’s about to get even richer with the third annual JaZZ and StanZaZ show tonight.
The show, hosted by the Zeta Phi Beta sorority and Diverse Verses Poetry group, will be held from 6:20 to 9 p.m. in the Bill Daniel Student Center Den.
Performances will include song and spoken word poetry selections by Baylor students from a variety of backgrounds.
The event is a production held as part of Zeta Week, in which the sorority hosts several events to promote their organization and collaborate with other campus organizations, such as Diverse Verses Poetry Group.
Diverse Verses is a relatively new organization that started three years ago in an effort to promote spoken word poetry on campus. The group also hosts Open Mic Night and has participated in the Waco Cultural Arts Fest.
Dr. Mia Moody-Ramirez, faculty adviser for the organization has been awarded the Diversity Enhancement Award by the Campus Diversity Committee for 2012.
“We just wanted to collaborate with another group on campus,” Grand Prairie senior and coordinator for the event Eseosa Azenabor said. “We wanted to have a classy evening on campus, kind of like the jam sessions you see in movies, and that lead us to jazz as the genre we chose.”
Azenabor said the two organizations chose jazz and poetry as the genres for the event to create a classy but easy-going atmosphere for other students to enjoy.
Six singers and six poets will participate.
The performers were invited to sing or perform poetry by the two organizations. They will include cover songs and original pieces.
The performers were recommended by their reputations as performers and singer/songwriters. While only a few of them are music majors, all of them have a musical background.
Killeen senior Dayna Richardson is one of the performers. Though she is a communications major, she said she plans to pursue being a cruise ship entertainer after graduation.
“JaZZ and StanZaZ is an awesome event because you get to see all the amazing singers and poets that you wouldn’t get to see normally on campus. There are a lot of great talents here that go overlooked by the general populace,” Richardson said.
Fort Collins, Colo., senior Brooke Jostad is a singer/songwriter majoring in social work. She will perform an original piece for the event.
There will be free food at the event and the organizations are giving out a free CD filled with smooth jazz, neo-soul and R&B music to those who attend.
