The annual fall All That Jazz concert took place on Thursday, December 9. This year, the music department sought to revive the Big Band jazz ensemble, according to music director Johnny Johnson.
“We kind of resurrected the Big Band. We’ve only done combos before. It’s always been a personnel issue, but this year we have enough people,” said Johnson.
The Big Band traditionally is a larger group that incorporates both brass, woodwind instruments, and a rhythm section. Previously, there had not been enough students to be able to fully flesh out the ensemble. This year’s Big Band was comprised of the red and blue combos playing together.
Along with the Campo Big Band, the performance featured two combo groups. Combos are typically smaller jazz ensembles with a bass, drum, piano, brass, tenor and alto saxophone. The respective combos were tagged “Red” and “Blue.” Comprised of students from the Jazz Band course , the combos were similarly structured based on instrumentation and skill level, but played different sets.
“I think the concert was a pretty big success,” Junior Newton Kwan said, “we had the combos playing, the big band playing, a lot of high energy.”
The concert showcased renditions of several well known jazz compositions, such as “Four” by Miles Davis, “Blue Trane” by John Coltrane, and an arrangement of “Satin Doll” by Duke Ellington.
Junior Kevin Schori, junior Newton Kwan, and sophomore Nikko Gousios were among some of the soloists that performed. Trombone, trumpet, saxophone, bass, and piano were prominently featured throughout the sets.