Casper Culmination’s Jazz and Hip-Hop Combo Performs at Lyric
CASPER, Wyo – The Casper-based hip-hop, jazz, R&B and soul duo Culmination will perform old hits and many new pandemic-inspired tracks at The Lyric this Thursday.
Originally a group of five, the group lost three members during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to saxophonist, keyboardist and songwriter Mario Feraud.
“We were just trying to be as real as possible with the situation,†Feraud told Oil City News, recalling the strange combination of home isolation and global anxiety.
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Meanwhile, the other remaining member of the group, drummer and singer Reed Hilton, presented Feraud with a wealth of poetry and literature that required him to be intentional about what he meant in his music.
He also had to double the self-administered keyboard lessons.
The result was the concept album “Midnight Snacks” which tackles themes such as overconsumption, money for real wealth, lost relationships with family and friends and “the hustle and bustle of life”.
The metaphor that controls is the messy patterns that emerged during the lockdown: a “light-hearted way of talking about how we’ve felt over this long year,” Feraud said.
Classically saxophone-trained in jazz, Feraud said Thursday’s performance will cover the spectrum of Culmination’s works, with an emphasis on the most recent material.
There will be exotic jazz scales in play (including melodic minor), linked to traditional major modes. “It’s definitely an eclectic, dense and harmonic style of composition that we are looking for. “
Feruad went from working in a restaurant during the pandemic to teaching private lessons. He currently teaches jazz at Natrona County High School, the band at Woods Learning Center, and music at Poison Spider Elementary School.
The lessons he learned through music and applied throughout his life are part of what he wants to communicate, especially to children.
Self-discipline is a lesson: “No matter what happens today, I’m going to train. Or, whatever happens today, I’ll pay my bills, or I’ll make it work.
Adapting through adversity is another lesson, much of it relearned when the group has lost more than half of its members: “We have learned not to panic when things go wrong.
Jazz improvisation is a real-time study in this field. Feraud said it can also come through friendly competition in art and sport.
“I feel so blessed that I was able to learn so much through music,†said Feraud.
More information about the band and a wealth of their music can be found on their website here.
- Thursday November 11
- 7:30 p.m.
- The Lyric The Lyric (230 W Yellowstone Highway)
- General admission is $ 13
- Seniors: $ 12
- Students and teachers: $ 7
- 12 years old and under: $ 5
Tickets can be purchased here or at the points of sale listed below.
- The Bon Assurances Agency
- Express printing
- The Hill Music Company
- Sonic Rainbow