The first big band jazz concert is coming up on Oct. 12.
The first big band concert of the season for the Thompson Jazz Studies Program will feature a couple of familiar faces in new roles鈥攁long with new twists on old, familiar tunes.
On Thursday, Oct. 12, Associate Professor of Jazz Studies Paul McKee directs the Concert Jazz Ensemble, CU鈥檚 premier jazz group, while jazz trombone doctoral student David Smith conducts Jazz Ensemble II. Both leaders are planning programs that touch on the many different styles that defined the genre, leading all the way back to the 1930s.
鈥淭he history of jazz is a pendulum,鈥� McKee explains. 鈥淲hen big band dance music was popular, the music primarily focused on dancers. Then the musicians got restless with the conservative format and started to focus more on soloing and improvisation, which became the bebop style. But that, unfortunately, alienated audiences, so the pendulum swung back to cool jazz, and on it goes, back and forth."
In his debut at the head of the Concert Jazz Ensemble, trombonist McKee wanted to bring a bit of his own jazz history onto the Grusin Music Hall stage. The program he chose includes a balance of more structured, traditional big band music balanced with contemporary styles and compositions.
鈥淭here will be something for everyone. I鈥檝e toured a lot with big bands, and the thing that鈥檚 so cool about the style is that the arrangement is consistent every time you play a tune, but there鈥檚 always a section devoted to improvised solos, which will be different every time. It鈥檚 a great way to break people into jazz.鈥�
In addition to his own arrangement of a piece by jazz pianist Don Pullen, McKee will lead the ensemble in his original composition 鈥淭he Messenger,鈥� a tribute to trumpeter Woody Shaw. 鈥淭he piece has a lot of energy and excitement to it, and I鈥檓 excited to play it and feature one of our trumpet soloists,鈥� McKee says.
Also on the Concert Jazz program is 鈥淎 Prayer for Lester Bowie,鈥� written by band member Hugh Ragin in homage to the avant-garde trumpeter.
Standards from 鈥淭he Great American Songbook鈥� pepper the set for Jazz Ensemble II. Band leader David Smith, in his final year of doctoral studies, says the crowd will probably recognize some favorites from Duke Ellington and Richard Rodgers, but there will be a different spin on the classics.
"Most of the tunes we鈥檙e playing were originally written in 4/4 swing, but we鈥檙e changing the style and the feel,鈥� Smith says. 鈥淭he program features different types of jazz such as funk, samba, bossa nova, swing and blues.鈥�
Trumpet soloist Andrew DePree is featured in 鈥淚 Remember Clifford,鈥� a ballad written by Benny Golson for trumpeter Clifford Brown, while a number of different musicians get a chance to show off in John Fedchock鈥檚 鈥淏lues for Red.鈥�
鈥淔edchock is a well-known trombonist who did a master class at the College of Music last year. This is a blues piece with a good swing to it that features an open section where we鈥檒l give the musicians who haven鈥檛 had a solo a chance to be featured.鈥�
McKee says the concert should be a satisfying combination of music that is both interesting and entertaining for the musicians as well as Boulder鈥檚 dedicated jazz crowd.
鈥淲e have a fairly consistent and varied audience,鈥� he says. 鈥淎 lot of people think of big band as their grandparents鈥� music, but as jazz evolves, big band music takes on more aspects of world music. And that鈥檚 basically what jazz is: a blending of different cultures.鈥�
The Thompson Jazz Studies Concert Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble II take the stage at Grusin Music Hall on Thursday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public. Find more information at .
