Last night’s Gettysburg College Jazz Ensemble concert at the Gettysburg Majestic Theater was a sign that there is a new era of jazz in Gettysburg, and that the students are all in.
From the first notes, there was a charged electricity in the air. The black-suited musicians seemed to sit a little taller in their seats as their director took the stage to modest applause. But by the end of the evening the applause was sustained and genuinely welcoming of this new infusion of energy into an already well-loved ensemble.
This concert celebrated Black History Month with works by Black composers of the 20th century including Benny Carter, Mary Lou Williams, and Charles Mingus.
Jazz isn’t for everyone and it would be difficult to try and characterize “jazz people.” They are syncopated folk who live life a little outside of the nine-to-five. People who listen to jazz use the music to let go of the mundane and enter the place where the rhythm takes over and the cares of the world drift away in toe-tapping joy or mellow meditation on the one whose hand you’re holding.
This ensemble of talented young people, all of whom auditioned for their place in the ensemble, leveled up their game this year. The music that filled the room was a mature, well-rehearsed sound that, from the start, told me that something was different. I’ve been to many of their concerts in the past few years and enjoyed them all, but there was a new excitement in the air.
“The difference is our new band leader,” trombonist Michael Tropp told me after the concert. “Amanda Heim is the new coordinator of jazz studies at the college.”
Michael continued, “She’s great! She was the saxophone instructor for ten years. We all like her a lot.”
Heim said she purposefully included Mary Lou Williams as a composer because she was a woman who became a band leader in her own rite while she composed and arranged for other noteworthy bands in a time when women were few in number.
Heim spoke about challenging the audience’ ear as she brought the Charles Mingus piece to life. She prepared us to hear sounds that might be more modern than we are used to. It enhances a listening experience to know what to pay attention to and so to my delight, the trombone solo became the thing I hadn’t heard before.
The trombone soloist took some personal risks creating sounds that I never knew a trombone could make. His control of the instrument made his improvisation worthy of the explosive applause that followed.
Applauding individual performances is part of what makes jazz a more intimate kind of music. The interplay between the musicians and the audience is important and supports the solo instrumentalists as they express their unique style within the ensemble.
All of the soloists were outstanding throughout the concert. None of them attempted to be the star of the show. They balanced and enhanced each other’s performances, making the whole piece seamless.
Each section became more than just individual artists and their instruments as the performance progressed. There was a cohesion to the ensemble that created a sound that is hard to describe. It’s as though the band is one single instrument that couldn’t sound the same without any of the individual parts. It’s why we can tell Duke Ellington from Count Basie from Lawrence Welk.
The trumpet section, however, deserves a standing ovation for its performance. They had a precision and oneness of sound that completely eclipsed any past lineup. This year’s Gettysburg College Jazz Ensemble is setting the tone for the future. The bar is high…
We’ll have to wait until April 22 to hear this group again, but on March 24 at 8:00 p.m. you can hear The Gettysburg College Jazz Combo (formerly Jazz Dispatch) on the college campus at Union Junction.
Assistant Professor Eric Byrd is the new director, propelling jazz studies into the next generation. Sitting still is not an option…
Deb Collins has been in central Pennsylvania since 1989. Her children graduated from Gettysburg Area High School at the turn of the century and now live at opposite ends of the turnpike, Chelsea in Pittsburgh and Jake in Philadelphia. Raised in Connecticut, Deb enjoys the milder climate and the proximity to so many major cities that Gettysburg provides.
Thank you! The photo I took was from too far back and didn’t show the group well. I’ll strive to do better!
Deb
Nice job on the article Deb. I was at the concert, so I can point out that the photo at the top of the article must be a photo from the “Connection” files since that is not the Jazz Ensemble nor the director that I saw performing. I’m sorry that I did not take a picture that I can share with you. Looking forward to your next musical review. -Curt