Purdue News
Purdue News
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October 13, 2000 Purdue jazz musicians pop the question: 'Got Rhythm?'WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue Jazz Band swings into fall with a concert, "Got Rhythm?" showcasing a plethora of rockin' jazz rhythms at 8 p.m. Friday (10/20) in Loeb Playhouse. No reservations are required for the concert, which is free and open to the public. "We'll look at the many different ways jazz composers use different kinds of rhythms in jazz - straight-ahead swing, reggae, bebop, funk and other rock kinds of beats. We're not going to focus on any one style," said M.T. "Mo" Trout, band director and assistant professor of University Bands. The Lab Jazz Band, which opens the concert, sets the tone immediately with a selection of tunes that begins with a 1950s Leiiber and Stoller number "You're the Boss" and finishes with Lionel Hampton's "Red Top." The Purdue Jazz Band takes a similar stretch in its set, going from standard Duke Ellington to Irving Berlin with a very modern twist. Saxophonist Peter Weber, a senior psychology major from Valparaiso, is featured in Berlin's "Soft Lights and Sweet Music." "We'll also go off into a realm we've not really explored with a Pat Methany number that's a fusion of classical jazz and rock elements," Trout said. "Methany's 'Minuano' is a piece that can be felt rhythmically on many different levels. Listening to it, it doesn't come across as being that complicated, but it's very challenging for the performer." Every instrument in the band lands in the solo spotlight during the concert whose title piece, Doug Beach's "Got Rhythm?" features trombone, trumpet and piano solos. The soloists for the number are Jorge Alvarez, a senior psychology major from Carmel, on trombone; Brian Neudorff, a senior atmospheric science major from Martinsville, on trumpet; and Ryan Hicks, a freshman engineering major from Fort Wayne, on piano. Purdue's jazz program is part of the diverse Purdue University Bands Department, which offers jazz, concert, marching and athletic pep bands as well as a symphony orchestra. The Purdue Jazz Band and Lab Jazz Band are next featured in a "New Orleans Night" concert at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18, in Loeb Playhouse. The Purdue Jazz Band represented Purdue at the Alpine and Montreux International Jazz Festivals in Switzerland this past summer. CONTACT: Kathy Matter, Purdue Bands public relations, (765) 496-6785; kcmatter@purdue.edu.
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