The band Alpha Soul performs Tuesday during the Fat Tuesday celebration in Loftin. Band members include keyboardist Chris Villanueva, bassist Sean Byrd, saxophonist Valentino Maltos and drummer Armando Aussenac. Photo by Jack Jackson
Barbara Knotts, chair of creative media and the Black History Month Committee, serves hot wings and dirty rice to music sophomore Knet Nabarrete during Fat Tuesday in Loftin. Photo by Jack Jackson
New Orleans-style event marks jazz band’s first gig.
By Sabrina Griffith
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
With food and jazz music combined, students got a taste of New Orleans Tuesday during this college’s observation of Black History Month.
Mortuary science freshman Elijah Stansbury and audio engineering sophomore Cheyenne Sepulveda said they didn’t even know this was going on, but they are fans of music and enjoyed the event in the cafeteria in Loftin Student Center.
Jazz band Alpha Soul played both upbeat and relaxing music, including Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.”
Alpha Soul included drummer Armando Aussenac, keyboardist Chris Villanueva, bassist Sean Byrd and saxophone player Valentino Maltos.
“This is our first gig ever together,” Aussenac said.
Students nodded their heads as if they were enjoying the music, and they recorded Alpha Soul on their cell phones.
Music sophomore Kent Nabarrete said, “When you’re a music major, you appreciate all music, (and) jazz happens to be what I’m studying.”
The Black History Committee started serving food around 11:30 a.m. and students lined up to get samples of wings, dirty rice and beans, cookies and tea.
The wing choices were lemon-pepper, hot and barbecue.
Liberal arts freshman Juan Zapien said, “I went to Louisiana, and it tastes like homemade.”
He also said the music was “upbeat, mellow and self-reflecting.”
Barbara Knotts, director of creative multimedia and chair of the Black History Month Committee, said a lot of people asked what was in the dirty rice. Some were willing to try it, but others weren’t.
She said she could tell people loved the lemon-pepper wings because most of them were gone by the end.
She said the event went well because people always love sampling food.
