USU's Department of Music Presents an Evening Of Jazz

LOGAN, Utah — The Caine College of the Arts Department of Music will host its annual Jazz Combos concert featuring student jazz groups performing original compositions and arrangements of classic and modern tunes. The Jazz Combos concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6 in the Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall.

These groups are directed by USU professors Max Matzen, Andrew Stonerock and Braun Khan. Khan, associate professor of professional practice, is in his eighth year directing a group and helps organize the events. He shares how the evening highlights the creativity and skill of music students.

“It’s really exciting, having students write and arrange their own music,” Khan said. “It’s a rare opportunity to have a group that you can rehearse with regularly. You don’t get that opportunity as easily after you graduate.”

The concert will feature four different combos that are formed through an audition process. Combos include both upperclassmen and lowerclassmen from a variety of majors, including Music Performance, Music Education, Music Therapy, Bachelor of Arts in Music, and even non-music majors.

The Jazz Combos concert differs from the monthly Jazz Jams, which are sessions for USU musicians to practice performing standard jazz tunes without any rehearsal. These jams take place at the TSC Hub, and students get put on the spot to perform standard jazz tunes with other musicians they may have never played with before. The focus at the Jazz Jams is on learning and memorizing standard tunes.

In contrast, the Jazz Combos concert lets students prepare a set for a particular performance and work on composition and arranging skills.

“Both events help develop students’ musical skills, but in different ways,” Kahn said.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, and free for USU students. Purchase tickets online or at the CCA Box Office located in the Daryl Chase Fine Arts Center. For additional information, visit the online calendar.