{"id":12169,"date":"2019-04-30T08:16:28","date_gmt":"2019-04-30T12:16:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/?p=12169"},"modified":"2022-03-21T16:58:00","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T20:58:00","slug":"international-jazz-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/international-jazz-day\/","title":{"rendered":"International Jazz Day Gives K Reason to Toot its Own Horn"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"International
Music Professor Tom Evans rehearses his trombone with Rushik Patel ’22 at Light Fine Arts. Evans directs K’s noteworthy Jazz Band, making the College a great place to mark International Jazz Day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are days during the year when it makes sense for Kalamazoo College to toot its own horn. International Jazz Day is one of them, as the College’s Jazz Band is known for its well-attended, quality performances popular with the musicians themselves and audiences alike.<\/p>\n

According to its website<\/a>, International Jazz Day \u2014 celebrated each April 30 \u2014 unites communities, schools, artists, historians, academics and enthusiasts to celebrate jazz and its roots. It helps the world learn of jazz\u2019s future and its impact, while encouraging intercultural dialogue and international cooperation.<\/p>\n

That desire to celebrate jazz could cause anyone, from jazz novices to experts, to gravitate to K\u2019s Jazz Band.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tell our audiences, \u2018if the music affects you, get up and dance,\u2019\u201d said Music Professor Tom Evans, the band\u2019s director, who ensures his group is deserving of recognition around K and around the Kalamazoo community. \u201cBy the end, we usually have many who are dancing in the aisles. It\u2019s always great to play in front of such an appreciative audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

The enthusiasm of the musicians is part of what makes the band special. \u201cI have one rule with the Jazz Band: It\u2019s OK to make mistakes, but it\u2019s not OK to play without passion,\u201d Evans said. \u201cI believe (the band) can make you a better person. It makes you more disciplined and it engages your mind. It\u2019s a chance to explore history from the earliest jazz continuing through many contemporary artists.\u201d<\/p>\n

For those who need a primer in jazz as they mark International Jazz Day, Evans said the music is exciting because \u201cjazz reinvents itself every night. If you go to a concert and see the same group two nights in a row, the beginning and the end might sound familiar, but the middle would be different.\u201d<\/p>\n

That middle represents the jazz process of improvisation, defined as the spontaneous creation of fresh, original melodies beyond the notes on a page. Improvisation is inspired by the musicians performing and how they feel at a given moment. Plus, they can never be identically repeated.<\/p>\n

K\u2019s Jazz Band typically follows standard big band instrumentation with five saxophones, four trumpets, four trombones and a rhythm section consisting of a pianist, a bass player, a guitarist and drummers. This year\u2019s rhythm section features two guitarists and adds a vibraphone player. A vibraphone has metallic bars instead of the wooden ones seen on the garden-variety xylophone.<\/p>\n

\u201cA xylophone has a distinctive wooden \u2018dong\u2019 sound, but a vibraphone has metal with sustained pitches that sound like \u2018ting,\u2019\u201d Evans said. Those pitches are controlled through fans underneath the instrument that spin and rotate.<\/p>\n

For students interested in Jazz Band, there are music ensemble scholarship opportunities for incoming students, and while auditions are sometimes required for the band, there are more opportunities to participate and take a leadership role than you might find at a larger school.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you attend somewhere like the University of Michigan, good luck. You\u2019re probably waiting until at least your junior year to play in the Jazz Band, and even then, there might be a waiting list,\u201d Evans said. \u201cK is a place where students have immediate leadership opportunities from the moment they get to campus.\u201d Jazz Band is no exception. \u201cWith the Jazz Band, every voice is critical. If one person doesn\u2019t show up, it affects everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evans came to K in 1995, inheriting the College\u2019s Jazz and Symphonic bands, after teaching at Alfred University, another liberal arts institution, in Alfred, New York. His jazz bands have toured Chicago, Washington, D.C., Cincinnati and Detroit in the U.S., and Russia, Estonia, Japan, Finland and Tunisia around the world.<\/p>\n

The group\u2019s next concert is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday, May 11, in the Dalton Theater at Light Fine Arts<\/a>. Evans said the band\u2019s play list will include some early jazz, swing, bop, fusion, funk and Latin varieties.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of each concert, I want the kids to walk off the stage as heroes,\u201d Evans said.<\/p>\n

Hear some selections of prior Jazz Band performances and learn more about the group at its website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are days during the year when it makes sense for Kalamazoo College to toot its own horn. International Jazz Day is one of them, as the College’s Jazz Band is known for its well-attended, quality performances popular with the musicians themselves and audiences alike. According to its website, International Jazz Day \u2014 celebrated each […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":147,"featured_media":12171,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[233,231],"tags":[39,61],"post_formats":[],"class_list":["post-12169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty-staff","category-students","tag-faculty","tag-music"],"yoast_head":"\r\nInternational Jazz Day Gives K Reason to Toot its Own Horn<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are days during the year when it makes sense for Kalamazoo College to toot its own horn. 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aria-label=\"archive of category Faculty & Staff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/category\/faculty-staff\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Faculty & Staff<\/a><a aria-label=\"archive of category Students\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/category\/students\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Students<\/a>","tags_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/faculty\/\" rel=\"tag\">faculty<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/music\/\" rel=\"tag\">music<\/a>","social_share_info":"<a data-share=\"facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/international-jazz-day\/\" class=\"pl-facebook-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-facebook-f\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/international-jazz-day\/\" class=\"pl-twiiter-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"linkedin\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/international-jazz-day\/\" class=\"pl-linkedin-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin-in\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a>","wordExcerpt_info":"<figure id=\"attachment_12177\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12177\" style=\"width: 584px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-12177\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2019\/04\/International-Jazz-Day-cMcGUIRE-Alt-2018-0007-002-600x406.jpg\" alt=\"International Jazz Day Tom Evans cMcGUIRE 2018 lo 0007\" width=\"584\" height=\"395\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12177\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Music Professor Tom Evans rehearses his trombone with Rushik Patel ’22 at Light Fine Arts. Evans directs K’s noteworthy Jazz Band, making the College a great place to mark International Jazz Day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There are days during the year when it makes sense for Kalamazoo College to toot its own horn. International Jazz Day is one of them, as the College’s Jazz Band is known for its well-attended, quality performances popular with the musicians themselves and audiences alike.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/jazzday.com\/\">According to its website<\/a>, International Jazz Day \u2014 celebrated each April 30 \u2014 unites communities, schools, artists, historians, academics and enthusiasts to celebrate jazz and its roots. It helps the world learn of jazz\u2019s future and its impact, while encouraging intercultural dialogue and international cooperation.<\/p>\n<p>That desire to celebrate jazz could cause anyone, from jazz novices to experts, to gravitate to K\u2019s Jazz Band.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe tell our audiences, \u2018if the music affects you, get up and dance,\u2019\u201d said Music Professor Tom Evans, the band\u2019s director, who ensures his group is deserving of recognition around K and around the Kalamazoo community. \u201cBy the end, we usually have many who are dancing in the aisles. It\u2019s always great to play in front of such an appreciative audience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The enthusiasm of the musicians is part of what makes the band special. \u201cI have one rule with the Jazz Band: It\u2019s OK to make mistakes, but it\u2019s not OK to play without passion,\u201d Evans said. \u201cI believe (the band) can make you a better person. It makes you more disciplined and it engages your mind. It\u2019s a chance to explore history from the earliest jazz continuing through many contemporary artists.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For those who need a primer in jazz as they mark International Jazz Day, Evans said the music is exciting because \u201cjazz reinvents itself every night. If you go to a concert and see the same group two nights in a row, the beginning and the end might sound familiar, but the middle would be different.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That middle represents the jazz process of improvisation, defined as the spontaneous creation of fresh, original melodies beyond the notes on a page. Improvisation is inspired by the musicians performing and how they feel at a given moment. Plus, they can never be identically repeated.<\/p>\n<p>K\u2019s Jazz Band typically follows standard big band instrumentation with five saxophones, four trumpets, four trombones and a rhythm section consisting of a pianist, a bass player, a guitarist and drummers. This year\u2019s rhythm section features two guitarists and adds a vibraphone player. A vibraphone has metallic bars instead of the wooden ones seen on the garden-variety xylophone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA xylophone has a distinctive wooden \u2018dong\u2019 sound, but a vibraphone has metal with sustained pitches that sound like \u2018ting,\u2019\u201d Evans said. Those pitches are controlled through fans underneath the instrument that spin and rotate.<\/p>\n<p>For students interested in Jazz Band, there are music ensemble scholarship opportunities for incoming students, and while auditions are sometimes required for the band, there are more opportunities to participate and take a leadership role than you might find at a larger school.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you attend somewhere like the University of Michigan, good luck. You\u2019re probably waiting until at least your junior year to play in the Jazz Band, and even then, there might be a waiting list,\u201d Evans said. \u201cK is a place where students have immediate leadership opportunities from the moment they get to campus.\u201d Jazz Band is no exception. \u201cWith the Jazz Band, every voice is critical. If one person doesn\u2019t show up, it affects everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Evans came to K in 1995, inheriting the College\u2019s Jazz and Symphonic bands, after teaching at Alfred University, another liberal arts institution, in Alfred, New York. His jazz bands have toured Chicago, Washington, D.C., Cincinnati and Detroit in the U.S., and Russia, Estonia, Japan, Finland and Tunisia around the world.<\/p>\n<p>The group\u2019s next concert is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday, May 11, in the Dalton Theater at <a href=\"https:\/\/map.concept3d.com\/?id=198#!m\/184611\">Light Fine Arts<\/a>. Evans said the band\u2019s play list will include some early jazz, swing, bop, fusion, funk and Latin varieties.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the end of each concert, I want the kids to walk off the stage as heroes,\u201d Evans said.<\/p>\n<p>Hear some selections of prior Jazz Band performances and learn more about the group <a href=\"https:\/\/reason.kzoo.edu\/music\/Ensembles\/jazzband\/\">at its website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","comment_info":"No Comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/147"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12169"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12169\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13879,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12169\/revisions\/13879"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12169"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_formats?post=12169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}