Utah State University's Department of Music is gearing up for an evening of jazz, showcasing student talents in improvisation and musicianship. "Jazz Combos," set to take place at 7:30 p.m. on March 19 at the Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall, promises a blend of classic jazz pieces and students' arrangements, as reported by USU Today.
The concert, under the guidance of jazz faculty Braun Khan, Max Matzen, and Andrew Stonerock, will give the audience an insider's look into the hard work of USU's jazz students. As Khan, associate professor of professional practice in jazz studies, puts it, "Groups will be performing 2-4 tunes from the standard jazz repertoire," and, their training goes beyond mere play, they're engaged in originality, in the creation of music inspired by timeless gigs.
What Khan and his colleagues bring to the table is a balance of educational rigor and artistic freedom. They help students pick tunes fitting for their level and nudge them toward higher mastery. Khan says, "Professors Matzen, Stonerock and I help the students by guiding the selection of tunes that the groups will play, assisting them in coming up with workable arrangements and giving them helpful feedback on ways that they can raise the level of their performance as a group and as individuals," as obtained by USU Today.
Indeed, the upcoming event will not just be a repetitive recital of the old but a testament to jazz's transformative power, each combo adding their distinct flair to the heritage tracks. Khan shared, the concert is like a snippet of jazz's life cycle, "The music is always trying to find a balance between honoring the past and continuing to move the music forward," as per USU Today. Whether it's a student daring to arrange a classic anew or another mastering a technique for the first time, the performance hall will echo with progression.
Jazz, as Khan frames it, is not just about the music. It's about character building, the resilience to struggle with a complex piece and the composure to perform it live without the crutch of sheet music. He remarked, according to USU Today. "Memorizing tunes and arrangements — especially if there’s a wide variety of tunes and styles — can be challenging." This challenge, however, is critical because it is in these live performances, these benchmarks, that students test and celebrate their journey.
