March 24, 2008

Purdue's 'Super Jazz Jam' to feature Setzer Orchestra music

The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature four different bands and will take place in Stewart Center's Loeb Playhouse.

Three of Setzer's biggest hits, "Jump, Jive and Wail," "Rock This Town" and "Jumpin' East of Java," will be performed by the American Music Repertory Ensemble as part of a diverse concert filled with contemporary swing and jazz tunes.

Setzer's retro swing, or jump style, has a rockabilly feel, said director M.T. "Mo" Trout.

"It's country and rock on top of swing," he said. "Our brass players really get to blow, just cut loose, and they get to do horn moves to make it flashy. They are really having fun with it."

Since Brian Setzer plays guitar, the instrument gets significant spotlight moments in his tunes. Purdue guitar player Mike Trilus, a sophomore in the College of Engineering from Rossville, Ind., will take advantage of the song to show off his skills, Trout said.

In keeping with the concert's retro theme, the American Music Repertory Ensemble also will also present Louis Prima's "Sing, Sing, Sing."

"Prima just has a lot of fun with music, and this is his biggest hit," Trout said. The arrangement that will be performed was originally written for the New York Voices and features the American Music Repertory Ensemble's singers.

Other bands on the March 28 program will bring a wide array of contemporary sounds to the concert. Concert Jazz Band will perform an arrangement of Duke Ellington's "Caravan" that's based on the version performed by the rock band Chicago.

"Alphonsus Cassell's 'Hot, Hot, Hot' again has that retro feel but with a Latin twist to it," Trout said.

Among the Lab Jazz Band's tunes are "Two Seconds to Midnight" by Alan Baylock and "Birk's Works" by Dizzie Gillespie.

When the Purdue Jazz Band takes the stage, the focus will turn to tunes by Grammy-winning jazz arranger and pianist Bob Florence.

"He's recognized as one of the major band leaders and writers of the last 50 years as well as one of the most innovative writers for big band," Trout said. "His music can be incredibly engaging, swinging and beautiful, and it can be contemporary and pushing the envelope. We are going to catch a little bit of all of those moods."

The Purdue Jazz Band will perform Florence's "Eternal Licks and Grooves," a piece he created for a Count Basie Tribute in 2005.

"He uses basic melodic motifs from Basie, but does it in a more contemporary way," Trout said. The band reprises "Body and Soul, a Florence piece on the band's most recent CD "Jigsaw," and the concert also features singer Darby Brignac, a senior in the College of Liberal Arts from Jasper, Ind., on the Florence ballad "We'll Be Together Again."

All of Purdue's jazz bands will again be featured on April 20 in "Jazz on the Hill" at Slayter Center, the final jazz event of the 2007-08 season. For information, visit https://www.purdue.edu/bands 

Writer: Christy Jones, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu

Source: Kathy Matter, Purdue Bands public relations director, (765) 496-6785, kcmatter@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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