Purdue Jazz Bands

Few jazz ensembles anywhere in the world enjoy the award-winning reputation of the Purdue University Jazz Bands, recognized as one of the top collegiate jazz programs in the nations. Three separate big bands and numerous combo opportunities are a part of the program directed by Dr. M.T. "Mo" Trout.

Its premier ensemble, the Purdue Jazz Band has received numerous awards at collegiate jazz festivals in recent years, including the North Texas Jazz Festival, the Notre Dame Jazz Festival and the Elmhurst Collegiate Jazz Festival.  The band mounted a European tour in 2000, marking the third time the band has performed at the prestigious Montreux International Jazz Festival in Switzerland. The Band has also performed in Germany, the Netherlands, Japan and China and has toured throughout the United States. Another popular campus jazz ensemble is the American Music Repertory Ensemble.  The group features a full big band instrumentation and up to four singers and performs record transcriptions of some of the great big band music of the past.

Students in the jazz program also have the opportunity to collaborate with some of the top jazz artists in the world.  This long list of outstanding visiting artists includes Byron Stripling, Bob Mintzer, Tom Harrell, Wayne Bergeron, Bobby Watson, Bill Watrous, Terri Lynn Carrington, James Williams, The New York Voices, Dave Samuels, Claudio Roditi, and many others.

Each January, the department hosts the Purdue Jazz Festival, which attracts more than 90 high school instrumental jazz ensembles from around the Midwest to a weekend of competition, clinics, concerts and community events.

Membership is each of the jazz bands is determined through auditions held each semester. The process includes performance of a standard jazz piece provided to every interested student in advance as well as a demonstration of individual improvisational skills. Musicians are grouped by ability, and performance literature is geared to the level of each band.

Combo work is available based on individual student interest. Performance opportunities vary from semester to semester, but always include several campus wide jazz concerts in addition to travel opportunities. In recent years the Purdue Alumni Association has made it possible for the Purdue Jazz Band and combos to visit Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Florida, Michigan, New York, Texas and Washington D.C. (as well as helping fund European travel) to serve as musical ambassadors for Purdue University. Student participants earn two hours of academic credit each semester.

Interested in joining Purdue Jazz Bands?

Click here for audition information