Jazz band performs at Baker University
The Jaguar Jazz Band performed at the Baker University jazz festival and achieved a rating of two
November 25, 2014
The Jaguar Jazz Band road tripped to Baker University on Thursday, Nov. 21 to perform at the university’s jazz festival.
The jazz band took the stage and prepared to perform their three songs Jordu, All the Things You Are and Sir Duke.
Afterwards, they attended a clinic where they would be told what areas they could improve upon during their practices at school.
“I thought they did really well. It was fun today,” jazz band director Debra Steiner said. “It’s late in the day so it’s kind of a different time for us to play but they did a really good job. I was happy [with their performance].”
While the band plays a song, there are usually one or two students who will solo during said song, such as senior trumpeter Eric Marquardt.
“It takes a lot of work and studying to prepare for soloing,” Marquardt said. “You know it’s kind of a cool experience how your work gets put into one performance to show people what you can do.”
Although the jazz band received a fair rating of two (out of five with one being the best), Steiner thinks the band still has areas to improve on.
“We always want to get to a better sense of jazz style and it develops over time. We have a lot of young members in the band or people who have never been in jazz band before so it takes a while to get that developed,” Steiner said. “Once they understand that we can sound like an ensemble all the time because every once and awhile we slip out of that .”
Even though the jazz band has had some difficulties with becoming and ensemble and members who haven’t been in jazz band before, Marquardt enjoys playing no matter with his band mates no matter what.
“Everyone in jazz band has become pretty good friends just group wise and people wise,” Marquardt said. “It’s fun just to get together to make some music.”
