The Colonnades were abuzz Friday morning, as the WKU Jazz Ensemble flooded the courtyard with music, undeterred by the interruption of sirens from an emergency alert system test.
“I guess we brought out a jazz emergency,” said director Sarah Herbert, assistant professor of trumpet and jazz.
The ensemble performed a selection of “jazz standards” mostly from the big band swing era of the 1930s and 1940s.
Herbert said that aside from entertainment, the selection of music is educational.
“I like it because it teaches the students the roots of jazz,” Herbert said.
As was typical of the big band era, the ensemble consisted of 18-20 musicians depending on the song, broken into four main sections: saxophone, trumpet, trombone and rhythm.
The show opened with “American Patrol,” originally written by Frank White Meecham as a march in 1885. The piece features several classic American melodies and motifs, including “Yankee Doodle.”
The swing version of “American Patrol” was first recorded in 1942 by the Glenn Miller Orchestra for Victor Records.
“A String Of Pearls” followed, a 1941 Glenn Miller Orchestra original, composed by Jerry Gray. The song was a No. 1 hit for Miller’s Orchestra in early 1942.
The ensemble then swung in with the Duke Ellington Orchestra’s 1944 “I’m Beginning to See the Light.”
The band rode in next with “Take the ‘A’ Train,” considered a signature tune for Duke Ellington and his Orchestra, according to PBS.
Herbert said the piece was composed by Billy Strayhorn in 1939, based on directions Duke Ellington gave him to his apartment.
Count Basie’s “Wind Machine,” composed by Sammy Nestico, stirred the crowd into cheers and applause, driven by Jack Calhoun, sophomore, on the drums.
Herbert said “Wind Machine” was a favorite for her.
“It’s really fast and it requires a lot of technique and a lot of control,” Herbert said.
She also enjoyed the contrasting piece that followed, which also required a lot of control.
The tempo quickly backed down with Count Basie’s relaxed “Midnite Blue,” composed by Neal Hefti.
Adeleine Johnson, freshman, drew an ovation from the crowd with her vocals for “Every Day I Have The Blues,” a piece made famous by John Chatman, known professionally as “Memphis Slim.”
“Until I Met You” followed, written by guitarist Freddie Green for the Count Basie Orchestra.
Glenn Miller and His Orchestra returned with the 1939 big band hit “Little Brown Jug,” originally written in 1869 as one of America’s first and most popular drinking songs, according to Folk Song and Music Hall.
The performance continued with “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” a 1941 hit for The Andrews Sisters, written by Don Raye and Hughie Prince.
Next, the bass-heavy “Stompin’ at the Savoy”, often credited to Benny Goodman, was originally written by Edgar Sampson, saxophonist for Rex Stewart and Duke Ellington, according to JazzStandards.com. The title refers to the Savoy Ballroom, a famed venue in Harlem, New York.
Johnson returned to the ensemble for “Mack the Knife,” composed by Kurt Weill, with original lyrics written in German by playwright and poet Bertolt Brecht. The title refers to the villainous protagonist from the 1928 musical named Macheath “Mackie” Messer, according to the Financial Times.
The performance concluded with “Sing, Sing, Sing,” written by Louis Prima, one of the most well-known songs of the swing and big band eras.
Herbert said providing such performances is her favorite thing to do.
“I think music is meant to be shared; it’s meant to build community,” Herbert said. “It’s meant to be done with other musicians, and that’s what we all love about it.”
The WKU Jazz Ensemble will hold its next show on Nov. 23 at the Capitol Arts Center.
