Susan Acker
Staff Writer

With all of the hip hop wars and the rap rivalries going on today, college students just don’t seem to have the time for good old jazz.

Bill Mays visited the University of La Verne Friday and brought along his trio, the Inventions, to play some of that ‘move your soul’ type smooth jazz.

The trio is on tour to promote their new CD titled “Fantasy.”

As the trio consisting of Bill Mays on piano, Marvin Stamm on the trumpet and horn and cellist Alisa Horn played, the crowd grooved along.

The song featured a solo by Mays and when the song ended the crowd clapped vigorously and a few “bravos” were yelled out.

Mays and his trio played very well together and the songs flowed well. As they played the mood intensified and one could really ‘feel’ the music.

Another great song that was played was “Along Came Betty,” an upbeat song with a good rhythm by Benny Golson.

The concert audience in Founders Auditorium started at about 40, but grew as the night wore on.

Overall, the concert was great fun. The trio could be seen on stage laughing and really moving with the music.

The concert was engaging and turned out to be a welcome change from the rock, hip hop and rap concerts popular among the college-aged crowd.

Concert-goers moved their heads and swayed their bodies along with the rhythm of the music and looked to be enjoying themselves.

We need to get back to the basics in music like jazz. Our age group tends to forget that the music we hear on the radio every day is not the only kind of music out there.

The Inventions is Mays’ newest group.

He is a seasoned musician whose work has appeared on the “CBS Early Morning Show” and “Late Night with Jay Leno.”

Mays has also worked with Barry Manilow and Frank Sinatra.

Stamm was a member of the American Jazz Orchestra and performed with Frank Sinatra.

Horn completed a master’s in cello performance at Northwestern University and she also performs on Broadway in “Spring Awakening.”

Rap and other genres of music have a place in our culture, but jazz should not be replaced or forgotten, but rather brought back and reintroduced.

The concert was a great opportunity for students to attend a free concert on campus to broaden their music horizons.

The new CD by the Inventions is a worthwhile investment for a college student, or anyone for that matter looking to add to their music library.

Updated information about the trio’s upcoming performances and their new CD can be found by visiting Mays' Web site, billmays.net.

Susan Acker can be reached at sacker@ulv.edu.