Easter Break

By Genevieve Buthod

I am so happy to go to a school that places a priority on students spending time with their families during the Easter season. I had the chance to see very close old friends and siblings I haven’t seen in far too long. On the Saturday of break, I went to an Easter brunch at my wonderful boyfriend’s family’s house, which was lovely. That same evening was Passover, so we all went to dinner at our in-laws’ house to celebrate. I love their family Haggadah, the prayer book passed down through the years.

The family put so much emphasis on helping the children learn the meaning of Passover. During the part of the ceremony when we remember the plagues in Egypt, the uncles and cousins threw plastic frogs, bugs, and “blood” ribbons all over everyone to represent each of the plagues as we learned about them. Everyone even got a cricket noisemaker to use when we learned about the plague of locusts! The children sang the prayer songs and went on the traditional search for the afikomen—the last piece of matzo hidden somewhere in the house—before we could have dessert. In all, it was a memorable evening and a great way for kids and the guests to learn about the family Jewish heritage.

Easter Sunday at our house was a lovely, casual affair in the backyard. My brothers and I invented new sports like Wiffle-Chase and Rake Ball (self-explanatory, I’m sure) and my boyfriend Adam and I helped the little ones find all the Easter eggs we had hidden that morning.

But on Easter evening, Adam took me to see a show at Jazz at the Bistro, a renowned St. Louis jazz venue. We grabbed a small table in the balcony, ordered coffee and settled in to watch a thrilling show. Grammy Award-nominated saxophonist Joshua Redman and pianist Brad Mehldau performed as a duo that proved beyond a doubt that jazz is alive and well. What struck me most was that they did not sound like anyone but themselves. They gave a perfect example of how to take influences and learn from them, combine that learned knowledge with their own passion, and create something entirely new, original and genuine.

Redman gave the room an incredible dose of energy and color with his creative sax lines, while Mehldau wowed everyone with his contrapuntal improvisation on piano. To improvise contrapuntally means to play two different melodic lines simultaneously, which he did with each of his hands. Needless to say, these two have no trouble showing their devotion to their music. Adam and I agreed that they shared the best session of trading fours we had ever heard in our lives. Mehldau played an incredible complex and difficult piece of melody on piano, and Redman listened closely and immediately handed the same line back to him on sax. I only hope to have ears like that sometime before I leave this earth.

Both musicians worked fluidly together as a duo, as well. They played many of their own compositions, but they also threw in both Thelonious Monk and Nirvana songs in the same set. I don’t know anyone else who would even think to do that, much less pull it off so seamlessly and comfortably. The duo seemed to truly love the experience, and it showed in the appreciation and grace with which they played each new song for the audience.

It was after midnight when we got home, but I wanted more than anything to break out my sax and jam. I was so inspired by the performance because it showed me how much room there is to play and love jazz today. I cannot wait to move forward with my music and keep showing the world that jazz is still fresh.

Genevieve Buthod is a sophomore, and a major in Computer Science with a minor in Philosophy. She is a happy and healthy vegan. She is also the TIAA-CREF Campaign Manager for Students for Justice in Palestine. Genevieve is the Senior Viewpoints Editor for the Xavierite.