Three SF State jazz ensembles ruled the evening at Anna's Jazz Island in Berkeley on Wednesday night, when around 50 patrons crowded the small, fake palm-tree decorated club.

The evening began at 8 pm, when the Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble from SF State played for nearly an hour and a half. The group of about 16 musicians, ranging from several percussionists to a flautist, was lead by instructor John Calloway, who conducted ensemble as well as sang and played percussion.

Vocalist Marta Sherwood, an art junior with a passion for music, described Calloway and his weekly class.

"John Calloway demands professionalism," said Sherwood, who is a new member of the nearly 16 person ensemble. "It's really very gratifying. We all care about the music."

The Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble not only delighted with pure Afro-Cuban music, but also with Afro-Peruvian songs such as ' Lando,' and several improvisational solos.

Siobhan Poling, a 24-year-old biology senior who Calloway described as a "veteran singer," has been with the group for about five semesters.

"I used to sing in choir during high school," said Poling. "I was never really into jazzy or Latin stuff until I joined this band."

Poling, interestingly enough, has also benefited from the group in her study of Spanish, the language in which all their songs were delivered.

"I just took my first Spanish class in Mexico," said Poling. "It gave me an edge [...] because I was always thinking 'I know that word from this song'."

The second group was a primarily vocal ensemble that featured some 11 vocalists, a drummer, a pianist, and bassist.

Led by SF State professor Kathleen Hollingsworth, the group tore through a rendition of 'Senor Blues,' during which Hollingsworth was forced to remove a green sweatshirt during an extended piano solo.

The third group to go on, also led by Hollingsworth, has been dubbed 'Soulsemble' and featured seven singers and no percussion. They ran through versions of 'Happy Birthday,' for a fellow singer who was turning 19, and, in true Christmas spirit, 'A Child is Born.'

"The students have had most of the semester to work on these songs," said Hollingsworth during breakdown. "The P.A. was kind of a pain, but they sound really well and they've come a long way."