Five soloists and Jazz Band honored at North TexasWilmette, IL, sophomore Kevin Chin received the top honor accorded big band soloists when the Purdue Jazz Band performed at the North Texas Jazz Festival April 1. Chin, a guitar player, was one of just two student musicians picked from soloists in all participating university big bands to sit in with professional musicians at the Festival’s jazz brunch. He wasn’t the only festival success story from Purdue. Four other members were recognized for their outstanding solos – saxophonist Cosmos Krejci of Bloomington, IN; trumpeters Alex Fenske of Richton Park, IL, and Shara Pearson of Goshen, IN; and vocalist Courtney Rohen of Grand Rapids, MI. The Purdue Jazz Band, directed by Mo Trout, picked up two overall “excellent” ratings from the adjudicators, the highest ranking available at the festival. Jazz bands appearing at the North Texas Jazz Festival received invitations to perform based on their audition tapes. Only nine university bands from around the United States were accepted to appear on the festival stage in 2005, and the Purdue Jazz Band was the only band made up of non-music majors. While in Texas, the Purdue Jazz Band also performed in Fort Worth where they were the showcase band at the Texas Christian University Jazz Festival on April 2. |
||||
|
