Jazz ensembles to perform variety of styles in free concert

  Members of the UCLA Jazz Ensemble practice for their
concert taking place tonight at Schoenberg Hall. Both Jazz Ensemble
I, directed by Garnett Brown and Llew
Matthews, and Jazz Ensemble II, directed by Gordon
Henderson, will be in performance. Because of the
diversity of jazz styles, the ensembles have tried to present
different types of songs for the performance.

By Antero Garcia
Daily Bruin Contributor

Long before Britney Spears even did it the first time, and even
before Michael Jackson found out that Billie Jean was not his
lover, jazz was the music most popular with America’s
youth.

The UCLA jazz ensembles will be performing a wide variety of
such styles, in a free concert today at Schoenberg Hall. The
performance will consist of a set from Jazz Ensemble I, directed by
Garnett Brown and Llew Matthews, as well as a set from Jazz
Ensemble II, which is directed by Gordon Henderson.

Overall, Jazz Ensemble I is more musically advanced than Jazz
Ensemble II, and they usually end up playing a longer set than the
second ensemble.

“(Jazz Ensemble I) is fantastic,” said Daniel
Pracher, a second-year music performance student and one of the
trumpet players for the Jazz Ensemble II “At the concerts
they always play after us, and I love to get the chance to listen
to them.”

Although Jazz Ensemble I is more advanced than Jazz Ensemble II,
students who may be able to participate in the former often decide
to play with the latter instead.

“We have some people who request to be in Jazz Ensemble II
because of scheduling,” said the Jazz Ensemble II director,
Gordon Henderson. “We only rehearse one night a week and the
first ensemble rehearses two nights a week.”

One such person is James Castle, a fifth-year music student who
is currently the lead alto saxophone player for the second
ensemble. Having played with the first ensemble for two years and
now playing with the second ensemble for his third year, Castle
enjoys the diversity and flexibility the ensembles provide.

“(Being in the ensemble) is great,” Castle said.
“Each year is different. It’s really good music, and if
you appreciate jazz, we do it well.”

Because there are many different styles of jazz, the ensembles
try to create diversity in the types of songs they select for their
performances.

“Most of the music we play is swing style,”
Henderson said, “But, we also play some Latin, a rock tune,
as well as a ballad. We try to mix it up a bit.”

With such a wide variety of songs performed by the ensembles,
selecting which songs will be presented at the quarterly concerts
can be tedious. By trying out many different songs, the ensemble
narrows down those which they would most enjoy playing in a concert
setting.

“We spend the first two weeks of class reading (music
charts),” Henderson said. “We end up focusing and
performing on five charts, but we’ll probably read
30.”

One such song that will be performed is, “Struttin’
With Some Barbeque,” by Louis Armstrong. Originally performed
in a Dixie line style, the second ensemble will present a more
contemporary version of the song, in honor if the 100 anniversary
of Armstrong’s birth.

Although the ensembles are currently performing published songs,
in the past it was common for them to play original student
compositions. In fact, one of Henderson’s most enjoyable
memories with the ensembles was winning first place at the Reno
Jazz Festival in 1995, mainly due to the fact that the ensemble
performed original compositions.

“Three of the four pieces we performed (at the Reno Jazz
Festival) were composed by one of the students in the band, John
Dabersa,” he said.

Students are encouraged to compose their own songs, but it
isn’t done as much in the current ensembles. This may be
because in addition to the weekly rehearsals for the ensembles and
the workload from classes, many of the members of the ensembles are
involved in the UCLA marching band as well.

“(The marching band) serves its purpose, but I prefer
performing with the jazz band,” Pracher said.

Because most musicians feel as enthused as Pracher about being
involved with the award-winning jazz ensembles at UCLA, the level
of competition to get into the groups is high.

In addition to performing quarterly, participants in the jazz
ensembles are required to enroll in a two unit class, Music 90N.
Auditions are held at the beginning of the fall quarter and members
are selected for the rest of the year.

“It’s not uncommon for people who were in the groups
last year to not be able to get in the following year, just because
the competition is so tough,” Henderson said,

Even though applicants must be musically inclined, they do not
have to be music majors. For instance, Chris Haire, a baritone
saxophone musician is currently studying to become a chemical
engineer.

“In the second band, a little more than half are music
majors, and in the first band nearly everyone is a music
major,” Henderson said.

The competition for getting accepted into the ensembles is
especially rigorous for those who play saxophone. According to
Henderson, the jazz ensembles have been renowned for their strong
saxophone section ever since the jazz program began at UCLA. Haire
has learned this first hand, and he is amazed by the strong level
of musicianship the sax players possess. “The sax sections
this year are marvelous,” Haire said. “They are a lot
better than the ones I have played with before.”

According to Haire, because of the experience of the group, they
work well together and have become good friends. Instead of just
playing music together, the saxophone sectionals are very relaxed
and students are able to get to know each other well.

This relaxation is also portrayed when the ensembles take the
stage. After years of performing, many of the performers are past
getting stage fright and play at their best level, even in front of
large groups.

“It’s something I’ve just gotten used
to,” Pracher said. “I don’t get nervous anymore;
performing is just fun.”

MUSIC: The UCLA jazz ensembles will be
performing a wide variety of jazz styles, in a free concert, on
Thursday, Dec. 7 in Schoenberg Hall. For more information, contact
the Music Department at (310) 825-4761.