Court Street will be busy this weekend with alumni scrambling from bar to bar with current students. However, for some returning alumni, they will be skipping the bars Friday to bring music to Athens.
For the fourth year in a row, the Bobcat Alumni Big Band Jazz Ensemble will be performing at Casa Nueva, 4 W. State St., during Homecoming Weekend.
Matt James, a professor of saxophone and jazz studies, said the vibe for the performance is very exciting.
“It is really fun because they get virtually no time to rehearse. The energy is really high because we just count them off and they try to do their best,” he said.
However, James said, this is not an uncommon style for big bands.
The Alumni Big Band Jazz will be playing alongside two student Jazz ensembles, one of which is under the direction of Sean Parsons, assistant professor of music theory and jazz.
Parsons, new to Ohio University this year, also wrote one of the songs that a student ensemble will be performing.
“It is great to have a good student ensemble able to play your piece,” Parsons said. “It’s great to be able to hear what doesn’t work and be able to fix it.”
James said Casa Nueva has been a good location for the jazz ensemble.
“We chose Casa originally because there are very few clubs here that are big enough to accommodate such a large ensemble,” he said.
James said that the Bobcat Alumni Big Band Jazz Ensemble will be a good opportunity for students.
“It helps current students connect with alumni who are back in town to hear how life was like back when they went to school here,” he said.
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