Filling Capistrano Concert Hall with soulfully syncopated melodies, Sacramento State’s jazz ensembles began the rainy season on an uplifting note Thursday night.
Both big band jazz ensembles performed alongside Sac State’s Super Sax Ensemble, under the direction of jazz faculty Greg Johnson and Duncan McElman.
McElman’s jazz ensemble opened the performance by marching through the isles, instruments in hand as they played “The Sanctified Blues (Family) from Congo Square” by Wynston Marsalis on their way to the stage.
McElman, the jazz director for the 3 p.m. Jazz Ensemble and the Super Sax Ensemble, refers to himself as a “man of the people,” and said his band represents an amalgamation of talent from music and non-music majors.
“It’s comprised half between music majors, and the other half are non-performance majors,” McElman said. “We’ve got criminal justice majors, mechanical engineers. We run the whole spectrum in the group.”
Third year film major and trombone player Meztli Medina said despite her commitments outside of the music department, she loves participating in the jazz ensembles.
“I continue to play because it’s fun, and I enjoy our faculty in the music department,” Medina said. “I feel like people don’t understand what jazz can actually be. It’s not just Miles Davis and Whiplash – it’s a wide variety of things.”
As the audience vocally participated in the riff-ridden “Salt Peanuts” by Dizzy Gillespie and Kenny Clarke performed by the 3 p.m. Jazz Ensemble, McElman teased the possibility of him coming on stage to play baritone saxophone later in the show.
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The Sac State Super Sax Ensemble showcased a range of saxophone talent with its seven saxophone players playing alto and tenor saxophones in synchrony.
Playing in both the Super Sax Ensemble and Johnson’s 1:30 p.m. Jazz Ensemble, pianist and third-year music major Selena Delgadillo, said jazz is an inherently freeing art form.
“I enjoy being in a space where I can be super creative,” Delgadillo said. “Music is an outlet for me to be able to express lots of emotions and ideas. It’s unlimited and so free.”
Johnson has been directing the 1:30 p.m. Jazz Ensemble since he began working as a full-time director and professor for jazz composition and arranging for Sac State’s School of Music two years ago.
Referring to the 1:30 p.m. Jazz Ensemble as the “upper-division” version of the two big band groups, he said he’s proud of the spirit his students show while learning more complicated pieces.
“The whole set is just crazy,” Johnson said. “I’m excited for the first song because it’s the first time they’ll ever play this piece that I arranged. I haven’t heard it before, it hasn’t been performed.”
Johnson’s upbeat rendition of Van Huesen and De Lange’s “Darn that Dream” kept the 1:30 Jazz Ensemble on their toes, setting the pace for the rest of their four song set.
In the final piece performed, “A Night in Tunisia” by Dizzy Gillespie, McElman held true to his promise earlier in the show, unveiling his expertise as a baritone saxophone player on the stage.
Since the beginning of the jazz studies program in 2003, Director of Jazz Studies Steve Roach has been a driving force of passion behind its conception.
“Jazz is an improvisational based art form,” Roach said. “When you play a solo, you can make it into anything you’re feeling. You get to transfer thoughts in your head through your instrument.”
Roach said many of the jazz studies majors pursue a path of music education, much like he did, due to unreliable career paths.
“Going into the arts and going into the music field is risky,” Roach said. “So we’re looking for students that are so passionate and dedicated to that concept that they know they don’t want to do anything else.”
Roach mentioned the community outreach events the jazz ensembles participate in, such as doing workshops with local high schools. He pointed out the upcoming Winter Jazz Festival happening on Dec. 7 in the University Union, a non-competitive educational festival open to jazz musicians and the public.
Sac State’s jazz ensembles and combos perform on a semesterly basis. Visit the School of Music website to view upcoming events and swing by the next jazz performance.
