WHAT: Saxophone Quartet Summit
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. tomorrow
WHERE: Recital Hall, Glidden Hall
ADMISSION: Free
Beneath the wild costumes and elaborate stage shows, it turns out pop stars such as Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson could fit right in with today's best classical musicians.
Those people perform in a very different way
but the one thing that is consistent is quality and innovation said alto saxophone player Wes Miller. You see that in classical music and you see that in jazz.
Miller and his Columbus-based Black Swamp Saxophone Quartet will join other four-piece ensembles Thursday for Ohio University's Saxophone Quartet Summit, an evening of music centered on the classically hip instrument.
For a lot of people
the saxophone is an unknown instrument that they haven't seen in this sort of setting before
said Matt James, a saxophone and jazz studies professor at the OU School of Music. They'll be introduced to a brand new sound.
The summit will feature an OU student quartet as well as student groups from Appalachian State and Otterbein universities. The OU quartet's repertoire includes and embraces both classical and jazz pieces, including portions of the Bach-influenced Mountain Roads by American composer David Maslanka and pop-jazz piece In the Land of Ephesus by saxophonist Joe Lovano.
Learning both styles of music on the saxophone is a difficult task to pull off, but one James said embodies the students' current curriculum.
If you strictly came up learning classical styles
it takes a long time to sound convincing as a jazz player
and vice versa
said James, who studied classical styles in college but also played more contemporary music in Phil Collins' band. Some do both; some stick with one side. But I kind of pride myself in playing and teaching both styles.
Consisting of professional members from both jazz and classical backgrounds, the Black Swamp Saxophone Quartet will provide tips on excelling at both in a master class for OU students at 3 p.m. tomorrow in the Glidden Hall recital hall.
The musicians - Miller, tenor Michael Cox, baritone Jay Miglia and soprano Brian Thomas - will touch on technique, tuning and musicality through practicing in chamber groups, Miller said.
As a private teacher, Miller has taught students as old as 83 the basics of playing the saxophone. But for him, the most rewarding part of teaching and playing saxophone is showing mainstream music fans what the instrument can do.
It's (nice) attracting people who may listen to Britney Spears and Lady Gaga
he said. It's really wild when you can hook somebody with purely instrumental wind instruments
and maybe they have a meat dress at home.
