The University Jazz Ensemble will be holding its winter concert Saturday at 8:00 p.m. in Old Cabell Auditorium. Under the direction of jazz musician and composer John D'Earth, the ensemble will perform a program that highlights pieces such as Gregory Yasinitzy's "Piccadilly Lily," Sammy Nestico's "The Queen Bee", Charles Mingus' "Nostalgia in Times Square" and original works of both director D'earth and student Greg Weaver.
"I am very excited about Greg Weaver," D'earth said. "He wrote a tune called 'Hidden Cove,' which is quite beautiful. He's a very talented writer, and there should be more of his work to come in the future."
Jazz Ensemble Assistant Director Dean de la Pena, a trumpeter, said he particularly enjoys playing pieces composed by D'earth.
"It's funny because I listen to his music and then to see him bring it to a big band setting is interesting," de la Pena said "It sets itself apart from the rest of the things we play. There's a lot more energy and it's more modern than everything else you would hear."
"John D'earth's probably the best director I've ever worked with," first-year John Petrucelli said. "He has such an open-mind, not only to the music but also to the people working with him, the opportunities that he brings, not only to the ensemble but also to the outside, bringing in guest artists and workshops. He is a veteran in the jazz scene, he's worked with so many people and it's just amazing to see where he's been."
The saxophone section is one of the strongest in the Jazz Ensemble. D'earth acknowledges the impressive ability of everyone in the section. Though only a first-year, Petrucelli has already achieved soloist status -- he and fourth-year Ben Jessup are the two tenor sax soloists.
"This concert we are doing a lot of free jazz as an ensemble, people playing different riffs," Petrucelli said. "As a saxophonist I'm looking on how to gel my sound with the other members.Obviously, as a first-year, all the saxophonists are a lot older and more mature as musicians and people and are always there to give me new direction."
The program's objective is to focus on the different ways of using the "tune" to create jazz music. The "tune" refers to the compositions, the riffs, the heads or the form, but it all acts as a starting place for the musicians. Then they take it and make the music their own through improvisation, recreating what was already there.
"One of the biggest purposes of this concert is using the tunes and compositions in the title as a vehicle for my students, my talented soloists, to express their souls," said D'earth.
D'earth added that he thinks the students' initiative sets the Jazz Ensemble apart from groups at other universities.
"The UVa jazz ensemble stands out from other college ensembles because of the creativity of the students," D'earth said "We do a lot of writing ourselves, and they are a very creative bunch of people."
The concert will be held Saturday at 8:00 p.m. in Old Cabell Hall.
Read More
The best albums of 2014
By Noah Zeidman | December 4, 2014Across genres, it has been a pretty great year in music.
Top 10 movies of 2014
December 4, 2014This has been an excellent year for film, offering everything from gripping blockbusters to innovative personal films.
Iggy Azalea is “Reclassified”
December 4, 2014It has become common practice among music artists to repackage their albums in an effort to simultaneously boost single sales and dish out new content by slightly renaming the album or slapping “Deluxe” onto the title.
