This week on Great Arts at Eastern, Jeff Gentry talks with Richard Schwartz and Logan Aragon about the upcoming Big Band Dance taking place on October 3rd at the Campus Union Building on the ENMU main campus.
Rich has taught young jazz players for years. Given the number of genres within jazz, Rich works with what skills the students have and goes from there. His decision on the repertoire he decides on for a dance show goes as follows: "-I think it just depends on the students' abilities and also their listening expertise. Well if they listen to a lot of rock 'n' roll or a lot of soul music that may also tell me what tunes that I am going to pick for them. They may or may not get the swing aspect."
Songs such as: In the Mood, Chameleon, and Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy that Logan will cover as an alto soloist.
Logan Aragon will be joining two additional singers other than himself on stage alongside soloists in the trombone, drum, guitar, piano and the trumpet. There will be "five saxophones, four (trom)bones, and five trumpets and about five in the rhythm section-" for this concert.
Works from John Coltrane and Dave Brubeck will be featured as well.
Logan states that what drives most saxophonists to play jazz is having a loud personality. "I'd say that there's definitely a different kind of, what you would call it, um, expression in jazz. It's not- it's not as the, you know it's of the same quality of when you are performing a classical piece. But, I feel like there is an homage to the old. That you are doing when you are expressing all these things that have been done before in the Big Bands from the eras of the 20s and the 30s."
Richard states that the five-dollar donation that is requested at the door of the concert is "used for the Spring Jazz Festival for bringing in guest artists. Also, we bring in high school jazz ensemble's to be judged. And we have a great competition, and our university students get to mix and mingle with these guest artists as well. So, it's gonna be a great time."
The Big Band Dance
Featuring the ENMU Jazz Ensembles
Richard Schwartz, director
Ballroom, ENMU Campus Union (CUB)
Thursday, October 3rd, 2019 at 7 p.m.
$5 donation for admission
All the great arts at Eastern are found at <enmu.edu/fineartsevents> You can learn more about this program at KENW.org.