Students from all different majors will perform.
peter gill
DAILY STAFF WRITER
Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall will be swinging tonight with the sounds of the OU jazz bands for its first concert of the year.
The jazz program puts on two concerts a semester, and Jazz Ensemble Director Jay Wilkinson said he is looking forward to tonight's concert.
The program features the two OU jazz bands, each performing its distinct style of music, plus jazz vocalists, Wilkinson said. Both bands have about 20 members.
The first band, called the Literature Band, plays mostly popular jazz tunes, both modern and classical. The second band is the Experimental Band, which plays modern pieces plus its own experimental and improvisational pieces.
Tonight's set list includes popular pieces like "Take the 'A' Train," "A Fine Romance" and "Someone to Watch Over Me," along with the Experimental Band's song "Red Hot," Wilkinson said.
Wilkinson said he likes to have a variety of musical styles at his concerts.
"I try to do quite a variety of pieces--Latin jazz, contemporary rock and swing," Wilkinson said.
Wilkinson is in his fourth year as jazz coordinator and said he enjoys his job.
"It's personal growth," Wilkinson said. "I get to deal with students who love this."
Aerospace engineering junior Sean Allen said he likes the jazz bands so much that he plans his schedule around being in the band.
"I schedule all my classes around jazz band," Allen said. "I've been playing since I was in sixth grade, and I've always had a passion for it. I like every part of it."
Josh Freeman, music senior, also said he has had a long standing interest in jazz. This is his second year in the Literature Band.
"I've always liked jazz, and this is a good opportunity," Freeman said. "We are playing some classical things and also a few charts that should be interesting."
Freeman said the piece "Flapjacks and Maple Syrup" is his favorite.
"It's got cool licks," he said.
Chemistry senior Sage Ross is also in his second year with the jazz bands, but he joined the Experimental Band this year.
"It's pretty fun," Ross said. "We do standard jazz stuff, but then we do experimental stuff where we write songs as a group. We perform some of those songs at our concerts."
Ross said the creative process is a group effort between all sections and that the jazz bands are a close group, despite being made up of students from different majors.
"In the ensembles, there's no division between the music majors and the people who do it for fun," Ross said. "Jazz band is more laid back than most music groups."
Tickets for tonight's performance are $8, but students can purchase them at a discounted price of $5. The concert starts at 8 p.m. in the Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall at Catlett Music Center.
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