Get Your Jazz Fix with the USU Big Bands

Citizens of Cache Valley who are in need of their jazz fix will get their jones satisfied in stellar fashion at the Utah State University Big Bands’ opening concert of the year Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the Caine Performance Hall on the USU Logan campus.

The concert features performances by the USU Jazz Orchestra and the USU Jazz Ensemble big bands.

“We have a really strong brass section in this band,” said USU Jazz Orchestra director Jon Gudmundson. “We plan on roaring out of the gate with Ed Partyka’s clarion call composition That 80s Opener. It’s bold, it’s brassy, and it sounds like the ‘80s. What more could a person want?”

Other highlights from the Jazz Orchestra’s set include Eric Richards’ contemporary arrangement of Joe Henderson’s Latin jazz classic Recorda Me.

The Duke Ellington sound will not be overlooked on the program, as alto saxophonist Rayna Bell is featured on the sublimely lovely Johnny Hodges vehicle Isfahan, from Ellington and Strayhorn’s Far East Suite. Picking the pace back up, the USU Jazz Orchestra will continue with Benny Golson’s ode to the hip cat who is very much against manual labor, namely Killer Joe, which is one of the most beloved groove jazz compositions of all time, Gudmundson said.

To close the program, vocalist Carolee Beck will join the band to swing everyone out of the Caine Performance Hall. She’ll be singing Larry Smith’s arrangement of It’s Only a Paper Moon.

The USU Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Greg Wheeler, will perform a program consisting of four selections, including Woody Herman’s version of The Greasy Sack Blues featuring guitarist Josh Campanella with Kyle Merrill on alto sax and Sam Christensen on trumpet.

There will be a rock-fusion arrangement entitled Morocco, arranged by Gordon Goodwin and featuring Hunter Klein on guitar, Matt Dean on trumpet and Kyle Merrill on alto sax.

“The Jazz Ensemble features Jacob Smith on piano and Matt Dean on trumpet as they perform a laid-back Count Basie swing selection by Sammy Nestico entitled Reachin Out,” Wheeler said. “The group Chicago recorded an arrangement of Juan Tizo’s Caravan, which the ensemble will perform with vocalist Dani Armour. This selection features our rhythm section along with Jacob Smith on piano, Steve Buys and Hunter Bergman on percussion, Matt Dean on trumpet and a saxophone duo of Kyle Merrill and Mike Larson.

For more information and tickets visit the CCA Box Office in room L101 of the Chase Fine Arts Center on USU’s campus, call 435-797-8022 or go to the Caine College’s website.

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Writer and contact: Whitney Schulte, 435-797-9203, whitney.schulte@usu.edu