A combination of modern music, classic jazz and arrangements by students and faculty will come together for a performance of the Jazz Percussion Ensemble and Jazz Ensembles I and II tomorrow evening.
“Since jazz is an inclusive music, many styles will be represented,” said Matt James, a professor of saxophone and jazz studies and the director of the jazz ensembles.
The night will include several original arrangements of famous pieces by jazz greats such as Wes Montgomery. Several professors will also perform with the ensembles, with original arrangements from some of them.
In addition to performances at schools and festivals around the region, jazz concerts have been part of the School of Music for decades, although they differ yearly.
“Any given concert might feature a guest artist, a unique arrangement or a collection of students that really gel as an ensemble,” James said.
“The unique aspect about jazz is that you are hoping for a unique performance every time. The element of improvisation brings a freshness to every performance.”
The ensembles are mostly composed of students from the School of Music, but anyone is welcome to join.
“Getting involved in an ensemble is a fun and great learning experience,” said Nicholas Kopko, a senior studying music performance with an emphasis in percussion. “You don’t have to be the best, just practice and join. I can guarantee that you won’t regret it.”
David Gonzalez, a graduate student studying brass pedagogy and trombone performance, said he hopes that concerts such as this one will
increase student interest in jazz music.
“I love jazz personally, and I know that, as I’ve taught a few Introduction to Theory classes, I’ll include in one of my tests, ‘Would you be interested in going to the band concerts?’ as one of the questions,” Gonzalez said.
“A lot of the time, people don’t know about them. I hope that, once they hear about them, they’ll be excited and come.”
ao007510@ohiou.edu
