Jazz Ensemble and Combo

The PSU student Jazz Combo and Jazz Ensemble will perform a variety of jazz, from classic to modern, in PSU’s Hanaway Theatre on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.

The PSU Jazz Workshop band, comprised mostly of underclassmen, will perform a small but varied program showcasing their knowledge of the blues as well their immersion into the works of iconic composer, Duke Ellington.

The PSU Jazz Ensemble, the jazz department veterans, will be performing selections from the jazz canon, featuring works by Wayne Shorter, arrangements of Terence Blanchard, be-bop, ballads, funk, and beyond.

Special guest vocalist Austin Pratt, sophomore, will join the performance for Stevie Wonder's, "I Wish".

Chris Klaxton, the director of Jazz Bands, is very proud of the tremendous growth that both jazz ensembles at PSU have shown over the past year. “In addition to undertaking varied and increasingly challenging repertoire, the students have taken on student leaders within the ensembles and become remarkably self-sufficient in regards to arrangement, improvising, group dynamics, and repertoire selection.” he said.

“Not only are these students a joy to have in the classroom, they are constantly setting higher standards for themselves, and developing habits and skills that will allow them to continue playing this music outside of the classroom,”

The jazz program at PSU focuses heavily on improvisation, creating and arranging music as a group, and embracing many related styles of music outside the jazz idiom. Members of the ensembles may or may not be a part of a major pertaining to music, but the ensembles and performance opportunities are a way to learn and maintain musical skills.

A huge fan of jazz, sophomore Samantha Liardo wishes she had had spent more of her younger years listening to jazz music. As a member of PSU’s Jazz Workshop, that’s all in the past now. “I would have to say that my favorite aspect of playing jazz music is being able to play improvisation solos - composing music and playing it simultaneously. Thinking on my feet gives me just the adrenaline rush I need to play at my best,” she said.

"I am also excited to show the audience what Jazz Workshop has been working on all semester and to show the audience how us members of the ensemble connect through the music we play,” said Liardo.

Initially a member of the Jazz Workshop, Christopher Heffernan was subbed in the Jazz Ensemble when director Klaxton found out he could play bass. Since then, Heffernan had remained a member. “I think the most difficult aspect of playing in a group, especially a jazz group, is communication; which also happens to be one of the most important things to do well as a group,” said Heffernan.

Jazz has not been as popular these days due to the more mainstream electronic beats, and relatable rap songs, but even in this multicultural society jazz is still considered as one of America’s original art forms. Difficult to define, jazz encompasses a range of music from that of blues or ragtime to present day music.

Jazz Ensemble and Combo performs Nov. 12th, at 7 p.m. in the Hanaway Theatre at Plymouth State’s Silver Center for the Arts.

Call (603)-535-2787 or visit www. plymouth.edu/silver-center for tickets.