“The Sound of Free Space” was heard at Baker University when Mungano brought the jazz band to campus to play at its annual Soul Food Dinner Sunday in celebration Black History Month.
Multicultural Affairs Coordinator Ron Holden said he has been working to bringing the band to Baker for two years, and this year he was finally able to work out a time the jazz ensemble would be able to come.
“We wanted to change things up a bit with the dinner,” Holden said. “I felt it would be a nice change – Sunday jazz brunch where everyone could come in and enjoy music.”
Freshman Katelyn Brewer said the dinner was delicious, and the jazz band was entertaining.
“They were really good,” Brewer said. “They played music everyone knew, and people were singing along with them.”
She said she hadn’t ever heard a soul band before.
“It was a new experience for me,” she said.
Jazz plays a big part in black history because black musicians created it, which was one of the main reasons the jazz band was invited to the dinner.
The dinner went really well compared to past years, Holden said.
“The response was overwhelmingly positive,” he said. “People really enjoyed the music. We had a full house.”
Mungano President Kelly Vaughan said she thought the event went well.
“There was a bigger turnout than usual,” Vaughan said.
Holden said he thought many people were impressed with the band, and he hopes it will return to Baker soon.
“We will do something similar in the future,” Holden said. “We may have started something.”
The Kansas City band rescheduled a gig to be able to perform at the dinner.