JAZZ BASH CELEBRATES AMERICAN ART FORM

(KINGSVILLE, November 22, 1996) -- Texas A&M University-Kingsville music students and faculty on Nov. 26, will attempt to "bring the house down" with an evening of jazz excitement at its best.

The 13th annual Jazz Bash, slated for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26, in Jones Auditorium, will feature all kinds of jazz, ranging from old standard pieces to new, original jazz works, performed by Jazz Bands I, II and III, the Jazz Combo and the Jazz Singers. The event is free and open to the general public.

The roots of jazz -- a type of music characterized in part by syncopation, dissonances and individualized melodic variations -- trace back to Africa, Europe and South America.

Jazz, as it is known today, originated in America, according to A&M-Kingsville Associate Professor of Music Paul Hageman, where it gained popularity early on in New Orleans, Chicago and Kansas City.

"The neatest thing about jazz," said Hageman, "is that all the students are playing their own individual parts, so the individual is extremely important in jazz."

Another unique feature of jazz music is the opportunity for musicians to improvise, or simultaneously compose and perform music on the spot. "The improvisation that students perform in jazz is one of the highest levels of creativity in music," Hageman said. "... But the main reason to come to listen to jazz is because it's fun and exciting."

Jazz Band III, under the direction of Assistant Professor of Music James Warth, will open the evening's program with "Ya Gotta Try" by Sammy Nestico, an up tempo swing tune in the Count Basie tradition, followed by "Sugar" by Stanley Turrentine and a lively Latin number called "Mambo de Memo" by Matt Harris.

Second on the program and making their first Jazz Bash debut will be the Jazz Singers, under the direction of Assistant Professor of Music Deanna Sienknecht. The Jazz Singers is a vocal ensemble of 13 singers accompanied by a jazz combo of drums, piano and bass guitar. Several soloists will be featured as well, entertaining the audience with "scat singing," described by Sienknecht as a "singer's impersonation of an instrumentalist improvising jazz," where vocalists use syllables as opposed to words. The late Ella Fitzgerald was a master of scat singing.

The Jazz Singers will be followed by the Jazz Combo, directed by Warth. The eight-piece group, straying from traditional jazz arrangements, will give the audience a taste of improvisation at its best.

The group's intent, unlike the other groups, is mostly concerned with the improvisational aspect of the music, said Warth, who described the performance as "a kind of jam session."

"They will not have any 'real' arrangements or really much of a plan," Warth said. "It's all very loosely organized on purpose because the idea is to get out there, improvise and make something new happen."

Jazz Band II, also directed by Warth, will perform following the Combo. Their selections will include "Groovin' High" by jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie; "T.W.I.B. (This Week in Baseball) Notes," a turn of the century ballpark tune by David Bandman; "Secret Love" arranged by Frank Mantooth; "My Old Flame," a standard 1934 ballad arranged for the Stan Kenton band; and "Papa Lips" by Bob Mintzer.

The evening's program will wrap up with Jazz Band I, directed by Hageman, who will perform "Donna Lee" arranged by Matt Catingub, a '50s piece that will feature the trombone section; "Knuckleball," an arrangement of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," by Charlie Gray; "Four-Five-Six" by Frank Foster; "The Heart of the Matter" by Bob Minzer; and "A Night in Tunisia" by Dizzy Gillespie.

Groups will perform back-to-back with no intermission. "We're just going to play tunes," Warth said, "until the audience is begging us to stop."

For more information on the Jazz Bash call (512)593-2806.

-TAMUK-
- Mary McAdam