Music department expects packed house
T.J. Gerlach

Staff Writer

Tuesday both the jazz orchestra and jazz ensemble will perform the annual fall jazz concert.

The concert, named Great Big Band Music, will feature selections by Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman and other composers. Each band will perform five pieces featuring "a number of improvisational solos" by the student performers, said Dr. Phillip C. Wise, head of the music department and director of jazz studies.

"I always encourage audience members to simply enjoy the performance," he said. "And I think there are two ways to do that. One obviously is listening, sort of being a sponge and taking in all the sound that hits you. And secondly, visually look at those musicians and see what they re communicating to you."

"The show in its entirety will be an enjoyment to watch," said Ben Peterson, sophomore music performance major and bassist/trombone player for the orchestra. "I'm extremely optimistic about it."

"[The performers] are definitely excited about it," Wise said. "They love to perform."

He said the 17 members of each band will visit six area high schools over the next month to perform and possibly recruit future musicians. And while there is no vibes player this year. Wise plays trombone with the orchestra.

The concert, in its fourth year under Wise, usually packs Webster Hall auditorium past capacity.

"Webster [auditorium] holds probably 450 people," he said. "We had about 700 at the last concert. A lot of people sat in the hallways and out front and down on the floor."

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Webster Hall auditorium, but Wise said "If you want a seat, you'll probably want to get there no later than 7. It'll be, I think, another big crowd."

Wise encourages attendance by all campus students who have never heard a live jazz concert.

"Whether they think they like jazz or not is almost immaterial,  he said.  It s just experiencing that at some point in your life; you want to be able to experience that. So I would really encourage students who have never attended to give it a shot. I think they'll be pleasantly surprised. I think they'll be amazed at the talent. And it's free."

T.J. Gerlach/The Chart

Matt Godsey practices his saxophone solo for the jazz orchestra. This will be the fourth concert under Dr. Phillip Wises's direction.

T.J. Gerlach/The Chart

From left, Aaron Scriven, Randy Georges and Nathan Kaminsky practice for the upcoming concert. The jazz ensemble and jazz orchestra will perform Tuesday night. Each band will be performing five pieces that include numerous improvised solos.