Showcasing both improvised and rehearsed jazz music, music majors and non-music major students performed in a concert on November 3 as part of the Jazz Combos ensemble.
Held in the Alumni Recital Hall, the student performers showcased what they had learned thus far in the semester. Keene State College students were able to obtain a complimentary ticket at the box office prior to the concert.
Keene State alumnus and Music Lecturer Steve Cady teaches bass and music improvisations. He also meets with and directs the Jazz Combos groups. The two Jazz Combos groups meet at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. for an hour every Friday.
“We sort of adventure through the standing literature of jazz music,” Cady said. Additionally, he said students learn harmony as well as develop broad musical awareness skills.
Cady said the purpose of the Jazz Combos concert was to give each student the opportunity to apply what they have learned in a concert setting. Cady described the concert as a “byproduct of the process.” The arrangements of Sunday’s concert were picked and organized by the students. Throughout the performances, each student had a solo in which they applied their learning. Part of their learned skill set established musical communication skills. While on stage, Cady pointed and directed which student would be soloing next.
In her third semester performing with the Jazz Combos, junior Emma Toscano said she was drawn to the jazz scene because of the creative opportunities and improvisation aspect. Since joining the ensemble, Toscano said she has learned “a lot of tools and tricks of the trade” like professionalism, musicianship, how to successfully play a gig and tricks for soloing and improvising. Toscano described the group meetings as laid back and low commitment as the groups meet for an hour once a week. “You learn a lot and the stakes are just so low.”
The concert featured Kim Clark, elementary band director at Keene School District. Clark played trombone alongside the students and sang a solo.
Cady said he hoped audience members would leave feeling refreshed and with a renewed sense of what jazz music is and can be.
“Folks tend to presume that when you say [jazz] you’re talking about saxophones and upright basses, but the genre is just so deep,” said Cady.
The program for the performance included music by Paul McCartney and Black Sabbath. “I hope they can see that the music we’re playing and making is not really different in that many ways,” Cady added.
Audience member Joanne Baer attended the concert to see her daughter, first-year Julia Baer, perform. She said she enjoyed the fact that the song lineup included music from multiple different eras.
Lesley Healy, front of house manager, has been working at KSC since the summer and described the Jazz Combos as her favorite performance so far. Healy also talked about personal matters going on in her life and said the concert “soothed [her] sad soul.” She described the energy in the venue during the performance as palpable and said she could feel other attendees enjoying the show together.
Skylar Tourville can be contacted at
stourville@kscequinox.com
