SSU’s Concert Jazz and Latin Jazz Ensembles took the stage of Schroeder Recital Hall on March 3 from 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. The Concert Jazz Ensemble kicked off the show with a five-piece set which consisted of songs by famous musicians such as Duke Ellington and Hank Mobley. After a brief intermission, the Latin Jazz group performed six pieces starting with a song called Amazonia by Ana Caram. 

Sierra Smith, a third-year Music Education major and flutist for the jazz ensemble, explained the methodology behind the performances, “It’s a lot of guesswork. A lot of it is just playing off of each other and making sure that you are listening to everyone in the ensemble. Otherwise, if you are not listening, it can get very disjunct.” Smith went on to say, “Collectively, we’ve each had only five rehearsals, so it was a really big deal for us to play tonight because we didn’t have much preparation, but I think it went really well.”

Ian Carey, the Concert Jazz Ensemble Director, also commented on the candid nature of jazz: “We meet once a week, and it’s a mixture of playing through the charts. I coach them on that, give them some feedback, and try to get them to think about what they are doing and be proactive. We listen to some examples and some recordings to get ideas of how to work with things. Overall, they spend a lot of time on their own working things out, working on how to improvise.”

The Jazz Ensemble consisted of nine musicians, featuring the guitar, drums, tenor saxophone, trombone, bass, alto saxophone, flute, french horn, and a vocalist. The Latin Jazz group consisted of five musicians utilizing the tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, bass, piano, vibraphone and drums. Each instrumentalist took turns performing solo. Notably, the Latin Jazz group illuminated the stage with creative lighting effects. Both groups stuck with fairly upbeat tunes.

Throughout the event, musicians could be seen glancing at one another periodically. Jomei Greer, a second-year jazz studies major as well as the pianist/percussionist for the Latin Jazz group, explained the phenomenon, “That to me symbolizes good musicianship. Jazz is an interpersonal genre. I think to be stuck in your own instrument takes away from a bigger motive of jazz which is the community that it creates. So, by being on a stage with these other amazing musicians, I want to take in as much as they can give me. I’m always looking for them, and if they need a little lick or something, I can play it back.” 

Greer described how the Latin Jazz group prepared for the concert, “We get the music, and we sit down with it. All of us now can look at it and play through it and fix any small errors. For a harder song, we will break it down slowly, but most of the time, it’s pretty straightforward.”

Overall, the show brought in a small yet enthusiastic crowd. The event was free to Sonoma State students and faculty. Tickets were sold to music lovers and community members for $12 at the Green Music Center Box Office nearby. Prior to entry masks and proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test were required. To learn more about future events, visit the Music department’s page on the SSU website.