The Faculty Jazz Composers, comprised of six jazz professors, performed along with a few other music professors at Schroeder Hall on March 17 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for numerous students, faculty, and community members. It was an overall quiet night for Sonoma State University students; many had gone home or were packing to leave the next day for Spring Break, but Schroeder Hall lit up the night with the Faculty Jazz Composers concert.

The jazz concert was accompanied by two other performances: an electronic performance by professor Thomas Limbert, and a performance by cantorial soloist Erica Wisner and pianist Yvonne Wormer. Many students in the crowd knew who the professors were, so when they took to the stage the excitement for what was about to be heard was palpable.

Limbert took to the stage to perform and discuss COVID-19 and the excitement he feels knowing this year has been moved to mainly in-person. His first song, The Cotati Howl, encapsulated his feelings about quarantine and the shelter-in-place orders that were placed at the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the song, he provided context about how he created the tune, “Everyone in my neighborhood at a set time each night, would howl to the moon. The more I listened, the more I started hearing tunes and melodies in the cacophony of howls that I heard, so I started recording three minutes of howling each night and eventually put beats and a chord to it.” Limbert then left the stage as soft, deep blue lights flooded in. The song was around three minutes long and filled the room with a mixture of howls and yips from adults and children alike along with an intermittent string and bass line that played throughout.

Ryan Ristine, a junior and music education major, shared his feelings on the performance, and said, “I enjoyed the first performance more than anyone else; I listen to a lot of transcendental atmospheric music and that piece was right up my alley which I really loved.”

After the first performance, and a quick instrumental and technical change, two faculty collaborators, Erica Wisner and Yvonne Wormer, performed a beautiful piece that seemed to move the audience with the combination of piano and voice that filled the hall. 

Once the second performance was finished, the leading act entered the room. Six professors and one special guest arrived on stage for a night of jazz. Dr. Douglas Leibinger on trombone, Randy Vincent on guitar, Ken Cook on piano, Ian Carey on trumpet, Cliff Hugo on bass, Kendrick Freeman on drums, and special guest Rob Sudduth on saxophone. The band played six songs written by the members themselves, some of the songs included Fruitcake, Questions, and Nemuri Kyōshirō. Each song featured solo performances from the members, who were able to show off their skills with their respective instruments. 

One of the final songs of the night, Nemuri Kyōshirō, was created by Carey, from the idea that he “… really wanted to create a tune that Joe Henderson would play on.” He named the song Nemuri Kyōshirō after the famous samurai film.

The final song was called “New Corral”, written by Leibinger and performed by the whole band. It started with a very heavy piano intro and ended with a flourish from the whole group, followed up by cheers from the crowd and a hearty “goodnight” from Leibinger. 

Tickets were free for faculty and students with a student ID, and $12.00 for community members. The audience was screened for COVID-19 vaccination status, and wristbanded at the door. To find more events at the Green Music Center, head over to the music page on Sonoma State’s website.