Homecoming Debut: UW-Stout Jazz Project
Brand spanking new to the UW- Stout campus this year is the UW- Stout Jazz Project, formed out of our own Music Department. I sat down with their fearless leader, Dr. Aaron Durst, to learn more about this new group — just in time for their debuting performance on the day of the Homecoming game, Saturday, October 11th.
What motivated you to start the new band?
AD: Well, the Dean of the College of Art & Humanities approached me with the idea of throwing together a marching band for the games. I found that very intimidating. Marching bands take lots of money, time, effort and people. I don’t think it would work for our campus. It’s A LOT of time. But, we didn’t want to outright say no, so I suggested we do something that brings to bare the work that I’ve been doing with the jazz band. We’ll take the jazz band outside; get them to perform, kind of like a New Orleans style street band. And that’s where the idea came from, is that it would be this kind of a marching jazz band. It was just kind of a concept that we put together, flushed it out. Let’s take the music of New Orleans brass band and merge it with some other popular brass bands. The Dean liked the idea, so we forwarded it to the Chancellor’s office, and Chancellor Sorenson really liked the idea, and agreed to give us some funding to get things underway; especially the scholarship money, and some supply money, and that’s how it came to be.
What did you envision when you decided to create it?
AD: I wasn’t sure what I envisioned. I knew I wanted to play some music that was fun and upbeat, and had the hallmarks of jazz, using improvisation. And using a lot of student input on musical style, and I always come back to experimenting and ‘play something you think fits and if I don’t like it I’ll tell you.’ Because that’s where a lot of good music comes from, is musicians having the freedom to be interpretive with the music. And granted, we have melodies and harmonies that the band is playing, but we also have room for improvisation and the chance to be creative. That was kind of my whole idea: let’s get some new people that want to be part of this as well, and see where that takes us. It’s the idea that there’s room to grow. I don’t want to be locked into a concept. It’s all about starting somewhere, and seeing where it leads us.
What styles of music are you going to be featuring? What bands are you modeling the performances after?
AD: There’s two bands: The Young Blood Brass Band and The Rebirth Brass Band. As far as styles of music, there’s obviously jazz. I think what we’ve been playing has a strong infusion of New Orleans style jazz, and Kansas City jazz, and the good old sound of the blues, just like Cyclops (The Young Blood Brass Band).
What sets this group apart from other University bands?
AD: As far as I know, there is no other [university] band like this in the UW system. There’s probably something like this if you go further south, to the Louisiana, Georgia and Alabama areas, but I’ve never seen a group that has literally taken the jazz band to the streets. And that’s where I’m going with that. Everybody has a marching band. You get 200 or 300 people in a marching band. But to do this kind of thing sets us apart – to have that focus on the jazz style. But to go outdoors with it.
What students make up the instrumental force of the band? What does it take to join?
AD: Right now we’ve got a flute, a clarinet, we’ve got a tenor saxophone, two alto saxophones, 5 trombones, 3 sousaphones, 5 trumpets, and then, depending on the day…. Four of five percussionists. I wanted it to be open to any instrumentation. I don’t know what I would do if somebody showed up with a ukulele or bagpipes, but I explicitly didn’t want to limit it to just jazz instruments. I wanted anybody to be able to join. Stout band is everybody that has music as part of their identity, but don’t want to make it their career. It’s open to anybody in either jazz band or concert band. What it takes is just having played in high school. You don’t necessarily need to have a jazz background; we can teach you that. But if you play an instrument, you’re welcome to join.
Unless the Jazz Project becomes a student org, I don’t foresee it having the possibility of participation without taking band for credit. It’s a commitment issue. It would involve more student leadership at that point, but it does have the potential.
What do rehearsals look like for you?
AD: We rehearse on Fridays at 3:35 to 5, just because I had to pick a time with the best chance of being available. At rehearsals, we basically learn the tunes. I don’t really go over the fundamentals, because that’s what the credited class is for. With Jazz Project, we have a lot of music and a limited amount of time; let’s make the most of it and learn.
What kind of events will the band be performing for?
AD: Right now, we’re planning on debuting the group at homecoming. We’ll hopefully be going to perform in front of the MSC on Friday during rehearsal time. I’m still waiting to hear back on that. Gives us a chance to play in front of people. I hope to play some of the basketball games, the Jazz concert in November, I’ve talked about going over to the Eau Claire Jazz Fest in the spring too.
What do you think will draw students to these performances as listeners?
AD: The volume….. maybe? (chuckles) Reading what students are interested in is always difficult for me. When I pick out music, I try to pick songs that are substantive, meaning with good musical qualities: a good melody, a good harmony, it is worthwhile listening to. I try to pick songs that are upbeat, catchy, familiar…those aspects – the melody, the volume, the rhythm, are what’s going to draw people to the music. If the band is into the music, it immediately conveys to everybody listening.
What time will you be performing on Homecoming Day?
AD: That’s a good question. We’re going to do some pregame. We’ll definitely play somewhere around 1:30 in the tailgating area, we’ll be playing in front of the box office, in front of the stadium, and we’ll be playing at halftime as well.
There you have it, folks! Be sure to look for this brassy Blue Devil Band on Homecoming Day! Show some support and enjoy the show. They surely won’t disappoint.
Photo Credit: Brett Roseman