The University of Massachusetts Studio Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble 1, under the direction of professor Jeff Holmes, joined forces last Thursday night at the Fine Arts Center Concert Hall to create unique and exciting music.
The combined ensemble, featuring the entire cast of Jazz 1 and the majority of the Orchestra, displayed their diverse repertoire by playing many of their students’ arrangements and original compositions. They began the evening with senior Mike Keough’s arrangement of “
The first half continued with the ballad “Mishkin,” an original by graduate student and guitarist Lex Olsen. The piece began with slightly dissonant, flowing melodies before settling into a laidback duple meter, very characteristic of big band ballads. Although there was no vocalist, graduate student Tobias Thomas played a very lyrical soprano sax solo that was fitting for the piece.
The ensemble then shifted gears, playing graduate student Alex Lee Clark’s “Palomitas,” a unique Latin sounding number.
“You Should be You”, an original by graduate student Adam Bosse, featured himself as the guitar soloist over a slow, free flowing string accompaniment. A gradual build in volume and timbre helped the piece reach its apex, before it came back down to its conclusion.
The ensemble continued to keep us on our toes with grad student Marek Novotny’s “Moravian Memories,” featuring Lindsey Graves as the guest vocalist. This piece incorporated a wide variety of instruments, ranging from xylophones to timpanis to strings playing highly accented, staccato accompaniments.
Graduate student Peter Van Siclen offered the audience a heartfelt tribute to his dog with his composition “Zinc.” This string arrangement featured lavish consonant harmonies and a blend of both legato and staccato playing. The second part of Van Siclen’s composition, entitled “Global House Warming Party,” incorporated cheery, upbeat melodies on top of a combination of Latin and rock beats.
The second half of the show featured Jazz Ensemble 1 without the aid of the Studio Orchestra. It opened up with “The Interloper,” a classic Thad Jones number featuring Bosse as guest conductor. This old-school big band chart featured a big, powerful, brass arrangement. Berhani Waldu on tenor saxophone and Walther Grenadier took turns showing off their virtuosity during the solo section.
The set continued with “A Child is Born,” another Thad Jones chart arranged by Alex Lee Clark. Guest vocalist Nick Borges wowed the crowd with his powerful, expressive vocals over upbeat snare drum rolls and the bass trombone stylings of Dave Skelly.
The band brought the house down with grad student trombonist Brian Thomas’ arrangement of Fred Wesley’s “Damn Right I’m Somebody.” This chart featured a bass- heavy funk groove and a high, piercing brass sound. Thomas flexed his chops on this number, as did Matt Schumer on tenor sax and Ted Sullivan on drum set.
“Lester Jumps About,” an original by senior saxophonist Tom Frink, opened with an almost gospel- like flavor. A diverse array of musical elements were employed in this chart, including chromatics and a walking bass line. Several soloists were featured, including Thomas on trombone, Frink on alto sax, Josh
The show concluded with a medley of the classic musical “West Side Story.” This popular Leonard Bernstein arrangement seemed to be an appropriate ending to a highly entertaining show where many of the student musicians were able to premier their original works.
During intermission, professor Holmes was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Massachusetts Association of Jazz Educators. Holmes has had a decorated career as a performer, composer, director and teacher. He has taught jazz at UMass since 1979.
Jazz Ensemble 1 received numerous awards at the 2009 Villanova Collegiate Jazz Festival during March. It received honors for Best Big Band, Best Sax Section, Best Rhythm Section and Best Soloist for Brian Thomas on trombone.
Dave Mansfield can be reached at dmansfie@student.umass.edu.
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