jazz

Rhythm, Voice and Jazz Featured in November School of Music Performances

Upcoming School of Music Concerts This April

BYU Music Ensembles Share Their Talents and Hard Work in a Variety of Concerts This March

February Brings You a Wide Variety of Concerts By Some of the Top Ensembles in the School of Music

Join The Boston Brass Quintet in their Big Brass Show “Christmas Bells Are Swingin’”

Brighten Your November and December With Uplifting Performances in the New Music Building

The National Jazz Museum Band Encourages Music Students to Find Their Rhythm

This October The School Of Music Offers Everything From Symphonic Music To Jazz Tunes

National Jazz Museum Band in Harlem and International Jazz Stars Play Tribute to Disney in BRAVO! Concert

Students From the College of Fine Arts and Communications (CFAC) Travel Nationally and Internationally to Gain Real-World Experience and Share Their Talents While Studying Abroad, Competing, Interning & Performing

Being the only Jazz Guitar Student hasn’t Prevented Jared Ferrin from Finding his Place in the Local Music Scene

Jazz Legacy Band and Jazz Combo put on Free Shows at BYU’s New Music Building

The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra performed with Chick Corea at BYU

The Brigham Young University BRAVO! Professional Performing Arts Series presents an evening with The Branford Marsalis Quartet, in the Pardoe Theater on Thursday, Sept. 15, at 7:30 p.m. The Branford Marsalis Quartet will be joined by guest-vocalist Kurt Elling, also a Grammy award winner, who is among the world’s foremost jazz vocalists. In a singular collaboration of musical forces, the tight-knit band will feature Marsalis on saxophones, Joey Calderazzo on piano, Eric Revis on bass and Justin Faulkner on drums.

Brigham Young University’s School of Music will present “Jazz for Kids II,” with the Jazz Legacy Dixieland Band as part of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Family Concert Series on Saturday, Mar. 5, at 11 a.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall of the Harris Fine Arts Center. Admission is free, thanks to a generous donation from the Sorenson Legacy Foundation, but all attendees age two years and older need a ticket. Children of all ages are admitted to this performance (including babes in arms). Tickets can be reserved at familyconcerts.byu.edu. Directed by Steve Call, the BYU Jazz Legacy Dixieland Band will play the music of New Orleans, a city where elements of spiritual songs, blues, ragtime and military bands merged to give birth to Jazz, America’s unique and contribution to the world of music. The audience will learn about and hear the music of Buddy Bolden, Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver and Louis Armstrong, who were the first great jazz musicians. The Beverley Taylor Sorenson Family Concert Series was created to introduce the joy of music to children and youth. All family members are encouraged to attend regardless of age.

The cows will never make it home this week, as Brigham Young’s Jazz Legacy Dixieland Band is accompanied by the infamous cow-pleasing quintet, The New Hot 5. The bands will come together to perform “A Night in New Orleans” featuring composition from legends such as Louis Armstrong, Jelly Role Morton and more. The New Hot Five was organized by band director Steve Call and is composing entirely of alumni from the dixieland band. The quintet was formed in 2009 and in order to accept an offer the dixieland band had to decline to perform at the Jazz en Vercors Festival in the French Alps. In 2011, The New Hot Five became a viral phenomenon with “Jazz for Cows.' In the countryside of the alpine village of Autrans, France, a herd of cows was scattered around a large pasture next to the band’s scheduled venue. While the band set up, Call began to play his tuba for the widespread herd. “It was totally spontaneous.” Call told Good Things Utah. “While we started playing, the cows just starting coming towards us and they just stood there in rapture.” The rest of the band joined in as the majority of the herd gathered around the noise as if to listen. Call’s son Bruce filmed the cow crowd, and posted “Jazz Cows” to YouTube. The viral video quickly gave the quintet national attention as it received 13 million views, a spoof on The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien, and an opportunity for a special performance of the band on Good Things Utah. The New Hot Five will perform alongside the Jazz Legacy Dixieland Band on Thursday Nov. 5 in the de Jong Concert Hall. Download Program

Synthesis, the BYU School of Music’s big band jazz ensemble, presents Velvet Fog: The Life and Music of Mel Torme, with special guest Mark Stevens. Velvet Fog is a tribute to Mel Tormé, written and performed by Mark Stevens. Mel Tormé was a fabulous entertainer and Stevens weaves a delightful tale around him. Velvet Fog was originally a one-man show with Stevens accompanying himself on piano, but Stevens realized, “With every performance, I knew the music was missing something. Then it hit me! Where was Mel most at home? Where did he do his greatest work? With a big band, of course!” Mark Stevens now performs Velvet Fog accompanied by a 17 piece big band.

BYU's jazz band, Synthesis, is currently on tour in Brazil, May 16—June 18. Synthesis started off the tour strong with a workshop and then a sold out performance in front of 800 people in Betim. On Sunday, members of Synthesis tasted the culture of Brazil as they split up to have meals with local members in Belo Horizonte. And the first week ended well with a fireside in Belo Horizonte. Over the next few weeks, the 18-member band will participate in jazz festivals, small performances, and jazz workshops all over the country. Synthesis also plans to hold workshops with local jazz bands and students as they visit major cities including Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, and Sao Paulo. For more information regarding BYU performing groups, visit pam.byu.edu. To book a performance, contact Performing Arts Management at (801) 422-3576 or perform@byu.edu.