Ensemble and Orchestra: Two ways for all that jazz
The Jazz Orchestra and the Jazz Ensemble broke out the blues in the Kent Concert Hall Wednesday.
The goals of these two groups include improving ensemble techniques, improvisation and, last, but definitely not least, the ability to swing as a band, said Jon Gudmundson, head of the jazz program in the department of music and director of the orchestra, and Todd Fallis, director of the ensemble.
If a student can’t make it to class, they have to find someone talented enough to take their part, Gudmundson said. The professors want their students to be ready for the world of professional music and everyone in the band has his or her own part, Gudmundson said. If a student isn’t there, he said he can tell there’s something missing.
Not all of the band members are music majors. “A lot of them are engineers,” Richard Perkins, engineering major and trombone player in the orchestra, said.
During the first week of school, auditions were held and the best of the best were accepted for the year. Latecomers, however, may still have a chance. During the semester break, it is possible to “challenge” your way in, if you’re good enough. Most people in the bands tried out because they just love jazz and “It’s very fun to play,” Gudmundson said. “Unlike most styles, there’s a lot of room for improvisation.”
The class is only one credit and requires a lot of time and commitment. The majority of the students in the Jazz bands are in other USU bands as well, so they are spending a lot of time with their instruments. In addition to practicing, sometimes students are assigned music to listen to.
Gunderson said the jazz bands try to put on four concerts a year at USU, but they play elsewhere, too, such as high schools, jazz festivals, weddings and parties. One of the upcoming events featuring the jazz bands is the Swing Dance. This event will be Feb. 9, 10 and 11. The bands play and there is a dinner and a dance with a student night held on Feb. 9. This annual event is a benefit concert to raise money for the Larry Smith Jazz Scholarship.
Guest artists often perform at the band’s concerts, and on Dec. 7, tenor sax player Norbert Stachel, who has played for groups such as Tower of Power and Pink Floyd, will be coming to town. On March 27 and 28, the Marvin Stamm Quartet will be performing. Gudmundson describes this group as “All-stars of Jazz.”
Among the different types of music the bands play are swing, bebop, different styles of Latin and ballads, and Gudmundson said blues has a lot of influence all of these. “Pretty well every style of popular music in the last hundred years has had blues in it,” he said.
-dlbrad@cc.usu.edu