More than a Passing Thanks

College can be a difficult and stressful time, and sometimes it’s hard to remember to thank those who help us along the way. This past Thursday night, however, one undergrad at Berklee College of Music took the stage to express his gratitude to those who have aided him on his path to success. Surrounded by his friends—the backup singers and the band—Jonathan A. Rostamabadi sang 12 songs in his concert, “Miles to Go Before I Sleep.” The songs were quite varied, ranging from deep and soulful R&B to upbeat and fun country selections.

The title “Miles to Go Before I Sleep” comes from a quote in Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening.” The poem is relevant to Rostamabadi’s own experiences as he recently took time off of school after feeling overwhelmed. “The time off reaffirmed my love and passion for music, allowed me to recharge my creativity, and helped remind me why I came to Berklee nine semesters ago,” he wrote in his note to the audience. Rostamabadi took time to reevaluate his goals for the future and returned to Berklee reenergized and refocused. He then decided to create a concert out of appreciation. “This started out with an idea to have a fun blowout concert that incorporated all of my friends that helped me out in my years here.”

His friends, Kristen M. McCullough and Leah S. Washington, recently graduated Berklee students, were happy to support him in his endeavor. “We’re close friends … he asked me to help, so I arranged the rhythm section and brass,” said McCullough. Washington plays the flute and attended 9 a.m. practices for three weeks leading up to the final performance. At Berklee, it’s typical to help a friend out with a concert or performance. Rostamabadi and his friends practiced in the early mornings and all of the performers helped as a favor to him. Ultimately, he can use this concert as an academic requirement, but the initial purpose was simply to have fun, and his many friends spent a lot of time and effort helping him to make it a success. Their communal passion for music added an element of camaraderie and excitement to the performance. All of people on the stage shared the same desire to create beautiful music, either with their voices, strings, or horns.

The innovative arrangement of the music also played an important role in the performance. McCullough helped arrange some of the pieces, as many of the songs were only written for a rhythm section. The band was made up of violins, a cello, guitars, a bass, trumpets, saxophones, a trombone, a flute, and a piano. McCullough, along with Rostamabadi, Cam Moncur, Deborah Pierre, and Washington, helped arrange the music for the extra instruments.

This big band atmosphere is what inspired Rostamabadi to include so many instruments in the final product. “I always had this dream to have my own small orchestra, sort of à la Harry Connick, Jr. … How many different ways can I arrange something that’s only written for piano, bass, and drums?”

Rostamabadi included lighthearted songs like “I Don’t Want to Be” by Gavin DeGraw and “Lucky” by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat and arranged both songs to be simple and clear. However, he also included more complex and intense songs such as “A House is Not a Home,” by Dionne Warwick as both a tribute to old-style R&B and to showcase his voice in a different type of music. He also included a country song titled “Tattoos on This Town” by Jason Aldean as his final number. “When I sit down and pick songs, I always ask my friends what songs they like, especially if they’re in the concert. I like to get their opinions because I always think it’s important that your band enjoys the music as well,” Rostamabadi said. In fact, the song “Only You” by Josh Kelley was introduced to him by one of his backup singers.  “I tried to pick songs that show my versatility as a singer and that have something unique about them that you wouldn’t necessarily always see going to a standard concert.”

Ultimately, however, the concert was for Rostamabadi to thank all of his supporters and friends. He dedicated the song “One More Tomorrow” by Eric Benét to all of those who have helped him get this far in his career. “This is my thank you song,” he said. “If you have someone you love—think about them. If you didn’t have one more day with them, could you go on?”