The Adolphus Jazz Ensemble and Gustavus Jazz Lab Band will perform their Fall Jazz Concert on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. The concert is free, open to the public and will take place in Bjorling Recital Hall. Both groups are 17 or 18 piece ensembles composed of first-years through seniors, chosen based on auditions early in the semester, and the Gustavus Jazz Lab Band is the touring ensemble.
The concert will feature music by Alan Baylock, Matt Harris, Jeff Jarvis, Quincy Jones, Rick Lawn, Frank Mantooth, Sammy Nestico, Wayne Shorter, Mike Tomaro and Steve Wright. “Salt Peanuts” and “Manteca” are two jazz standards associated with Dizzy Gillespie that will also be on the program.
Soloists from the Adolphus Jazz Ensemble will include Seniors Quentin Ebner, Noah Setterholm; Juniors Matthew Swenson Nick Hamburg and Matthew Martin; Sophomores Richard Schwantes and Josh Szypulski and First-Year Erica Fernstrom.
Soloists in the Gustavus Jazz Lab Band will include Seniors Kevin Anderson, Andrew Evans, Will Grant and Jonathon Monk; Juniors Cory Ruegg and Mario Thayer and First-Years Chris Allen, Karl Grant and Nick Mason.
According to the director of both ensembles, Professor of Music Steve Wright, jazz is “a completely different idiom” because of the involvement of “the art of improvisation. The soloists that you will see are improvising over chord changes; it is the unique thing about Jazz,” Wright said. “Very little of what you need to know to play jazz well is written on the page,” First-year and Gustavus Jazz Lab Band member Karl Grant said.
Besides the difficulty of the improvisation, there is another thing that makes jazz especially challenging. “The unique thing about the bands is there’s one person per part,” Wright said. This adds a level of difficulty to the band that is exclusive to small ensembles.
Students should also expect a lot of variety in the music being played. “I always program a variety of works,” Wright said. From Latin influences to more classic swing-style Jazz to modern work, concert-goers can expect a range of music. First-year Dan Leifermann appreciates the music he plays in the Gustavus Jazz Lab Band. “We play a lot of challenging music, but it sounds awesome!” Liefermann said.
The Adolphus Jazz Ensemble rehearses two times a week and plays one concert and at Midnight Express each semester. Students say the commitment is worth it. “I love having the opportunity to play in jazz band this year. The music is so much fun to play and a challenge at the same time. I think the concert should be great; our pieces are really fun,” First-year and Adolphus Jazz Ensemble member Rebecca Thompson said.
The Jazz Lab Band is the official touring group. Last spring the ensemble traveled to New York City and Washington, D.C. They also competed in the Eau Claire Jazz Festival in the spring, coming in second by a quarter of a point.
After the success of last spring, the group is hopeful that they can have more success this year, despite the addition of several new members. “This year we have a sure-fire strong band, which I am very proud of. This is due, of course, to all the members of the Gustavus Jazz Lab Band, but I’m especially proud of the incoming first-years: trumpet-players Nick Mason and Dan Leifermann, trombone-player Chris Allen, and our new pianist Karl Grant. It is as if these first-years jumped onto the Gustavus Jazz Lab Band train while it was moving pretty quickly, and they seem to have not been phased by the fast movement at all,” Senior Jonathan Monk said.
“I like to think of each band getting better and better each year, and it seems to have worked that way,”. Wright said.
Both groups are particularly excited for the upcoming concert because it is their first major concert of the year. “We’ve already played a mini-concert/concert preview in late October because we felt pretty strong about the material so early,” Monk said.
The audinence can expect a strong performance from all of the musicians because of their excitement and motivation. “I am very excited for the concert, and everyone should be there because it’s going to be awesome,” Leifermann said.
Students can look forward to plenty of jazz in the future, as well. Wright is arranging a piece for a five-piece jazz combo for Christmas in Christ Chapel, one of the largest musical events on campus. A CD recorded last spring is expected to be released in spring 2011, and there are more concerts to come as well. This year, the Gustavus Lab Jazz Lab Band hopes to participate in the Notre Dame Jazz Festival in South Bend, Ind.
Students interested in the jazz ensembles and the other musical groups on campus audition in the beginning of the school year, and sometimes small jazz combos are formed if the right mix of instruments is available. Anyone interested in joining a jazz ensemble on campus should contact Steve Wright.
Photos by Clark Kampfe.