Current and former Bobcats will perform jazz alongside one another for a musical Homecoming event
Alumni from the Ohio University Jazz ensembles will have the chance to reconnect with their fellow band mates as they return to Athens for Homecoming.
The Alumni Jazz Jam will take place Saturday night and will showcase both current students and alumni jazz band members. Two student ensembles and one alumni ensemble will play a variety of jazz tunes throughout the night at Casa Nueva.
Seth Alexander, a senior percussion performance major, plays the drums and vibraphone for Jazz Ensemble I. While they usually play a diverse selection of repertoire, he says he is especially looking forward to performing his own arrangement of a “Snarky Puppy” tune.
”I’m definitely excited for that,” Alexander said. “It’s going to be a little nerve-wracking, but it’s also going to be really really exciting.”
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Alexander said he is also excited to spend time with the alumni, both recent graduates and those who attended OU some time ago.
“Sometimes you get older guys ... that have been around and will come back and always come back just because they like the event so much,” he said. “They’ll talk to the younger guys about what used to be, back in the old days. It’s really cool.”
Sara Lewis, a 2014 graduate of OU and jazz band alumna, is looking forward to returning to Athens and playing the alto saxophone in the alumni ensemble.
“It allows me a chance to get out and play, which I don’t get to do much anymore,” Lewis said.
Although the alumni ensemble will mostly sight-read the music for their performance, Lewis said she is not worried, as sight-reading is a “natural part of jazz band.” Although, she is excited to play a song that is quite familiar to her, as she played it during her sophomore year at Ohio.
“It will definitely bring back memories,” she said.
Matthew James, director of jazz studies, said he expects the concert to be enjoyable for performers and audiences alike.
“It’s a lot (of) people coming in and out of Casa,” James said. “It gets crowded, there’s cases everywhere, it’s a melee. But it ends up being a lot of fun.”
James also said there is importance in staying in touch with alumni.
“We try to reach out to alumni for so many reasons,” he said. “We love having them back on campus just to see them again and to give them another outlet for their own playing. It’s a vital part of a vibrant school, to stay in touch with your alumni.”
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