Jazz Ensemble Concert Performed at Sunderman Conservatory
The stage at Paul Recital Hall following the jazz ensemble performance. (Nathaniel Swindell/The Gettysburgian)
By Nathaniel Swindell, Staff Writer
On Nov. 23, the Sunderman Conservatory hosted a jazz ensemble concert performed by thirteen students, featuring a mix of songs from famous jazz artists such as Herbie Hancock, Wes Montgomery and Sonny Stitt. The songs were chosen to allow the musicians to play jazz that best displayed the techniques used in creating it.
“The purpose of the concerts, at least, my philosophy, is to give students a grounding on what the music kinda was built on,” said professor and Jazz Ensemble Director Eric Byrd, who has been a professional jazz player for over thirty years. “And so that’s kinda what we do each semester. We try to find music that helps define the jazz straight-ahead, acoustic-based style.”
While the concert did not have a particular theme, the style was inspired by jazz artists from the early 1900s and the music they created.
“This is what we call straight-ahead, or acoustic, or classic jazz,” said Byrd. “You know, there’s smooth jazz, there’s acid jazzand there’s all kinds of types of contemporary, modern jazz. But this is kind of classic jazz. This is gonna draw from the wellspring of composers like Miles Davis and Tadd Dameron and those guys from the 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond era. They kind of laid the foundation for what jazz is today.”
“Yeah, no, it’s not very contemporary,” commented Lucas Ramirez ’28, the pianist for one of the bands. “These charts have been played for decades. So, it’s pretty regular, standard jazz.”
Future jazz events will be performed next semester, likely in April.
“This college, as you may or may not know, has quite the robust jazz group offering,” said Byrd. “So, the jazz big band plays a couple times a semester. I think they’ll have three concerts in the spring semester. We’ll have another concert in April, I think it is the end of April, and we’re trying to get some jam sessions together on campus. We’re also trying to celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month, which is in April, and we’re trying to do something where we can celebrate America’s original art form.”
Concluding, Byrd suggested that students continue to support the musicians as best they can, and recommend some local jazz venues.
“We would appreciate the support from the community,” said Byrd. “The students play this music as best they can, they practice really hard, they work on the music, so any community support you can provide by attending concerts on campus. But also, if you know of a place in the Gettysburg area where these kids can get off-campus and play this music on a somewhat regular basis, they are interested in that, too. Just support them any way you can.”
