Three Ohio University bands from the School of Music will bring the boogie down during the annual Spring Jazz Concert Friday.
The concert will begin with the Jazz Percussion Ensemble directed by Roger Braun, who is the head of percussion studies at OU. Braun said the 10-person group will play four pieces, three of which were arranged for the ensemble by OU students.
For this particular (show)
I was really encouraging students to come in with arrangements of their own Braun said. So I give them free range to choose what they want to do.
Senior Erik Mullin arranged Rebeca Mauleón's Batamambo, a fast, Latin piece.
It was pretty simple I had music from (Braun)
so I just had to take the trumpet
piano and saxophone parts on mallet instruments
Mullin said, adding that the piece will showcase conga drum.
Jazz Ensemble II will follow the percussion ensemble led by School of Music director Michael Parkinson. The 20-member band will perform five songs, two of which are tribute pieces.
Here's That Rainy Day will be played in honor of the late composer and trombonist Rob McConnell and singer/actress Lena Horne. The second tribute piece is Gdansk.
It was composed to honor the solidarity movement in Poland in the 1980s. Parkinson said. We're playing this piece in homage to the Polish citizens and leaders that died in the plane crash (April 10)
The concert will end with a performance by Jazz Ensemble I, directed by professor Matt James. The 20-piece band has chosen a diverse selection of music and will emphasize improvisation.
Myself or anybody that stands up to improvise on one of these tunes
it's going to sound different every day
he said. That's what's nice and fresh and unexpected about the music - that every recording
even by the people who originally recorded the music
sounds different and sounds like it's drawing inspiration from different places.
The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium. Admission is free for OU students.
