Gustavus’ jazz bands have traditionally been groups that the college can brag about, but according to Gustavus Jazz Lab Band Director Steve Wright, this year’s group has been one of, if not the best, he has directed during his 19 years at Gustavus.
On April 3, the Gustavus Jazz Lab Band got the chance to demonstrate its talents at the Eau Claire Jazz Festival alongside groups from St. Olaf College, Iowa State University and a number of Minnesota schools. In the last six times the Jazz Lab Band has performed at the competition, it has consistantly placed within the top three. Considering the high caliber of talent it was up against, it makes this year’s second place finish that much more impressive.
“[It] was a little disappointing, but the school that beat us was a music school. It would have been an embarrassment for them if they didn’t win,” said Senior Biology/Life Science Teaching Major Andrew Haaheim. Haaheim is the drummer for the Jazz Lab Band, and he, along with bandmates Jonathan Monk, Erik Mahon and Tom Oelfke, left the festival with an individual award for Outstanding Performer.
The festival performance came on the heels of the Jazz Lab Band’s week-long Spring Break tour across Wisconsin and Illinois, including a very special performance at a Chicago jazz club.
“During the tour we performed some of our greatest concerts, came back to have three rehearsals, which prepared us for an even better concert at the Eau Claire Jazz Festival,” said Monk, one of the group’s saxophonists and a sophomore geology and philosophy major.
“I’ve found that playing jazz generally creates an atmosphere that is laid back and where I can just have a … good time doing what I love. Eau Claire was definitely a good experience for us—we finally realized how good we actually are,” said Mahon, a trumpeter and a senior music honors major.
One of the things that makes Gustavus’ Jazz Lab Band unique is its relative lack of music majors when compared to similar groups at other schools. “I’m proud that we have become such a high caliber group, considering that there are only three music majors in the band,” said Oelfke, a trombonist and a junior biology major.
The Eau Claire Jazz Festival offers opportunities for groups to interact and learn from other jazz artists, some of them from the international scene. The competition consists of each band playing three pieces of contrasting natures and then being subjected to comments from judges. “We performed marvelously,” said Wright. “We received great comments from the judges, but I think they were hard pressed to find things for [the band] to improve on.”
Gustavus students and anybody else who’s interested will have the opportunity to hear the Jazz Lab Band perform during its home concert this Saturday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m. in Bjorling Hall. The performance will feature pieces by Thad James, Mark Taylor, Steve Wright and Thelonious Monk.
The Gustavus Chamber Singers and the Gustavus Jazz Ensemble will also be performing jointly in Bjorling Hall the following evening, Sunday, April 19 at 7:30 p.m., in a concert that will include works such as Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five,” Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile” and maybe even a Beatles tune or two.
“It’s great to be perpetuating a music that is unique to American art,” said Wright. “It’s truly a unique idiom to work in.”
Whether you’re a Herbie Hancock wannabe, a jazz connoisseur or a casual listener who feels in need of some grooving, the Gustavus Jazz Lab Band has plenty to offer to its audience.