Performance
Jazz Ensembles
For more information about the College of Music's jazz ensembles, visit the Jazz Studies Program website.
Jazz ensembles include three big bands, each made up of 18 members, and play the repertoire of the great jazz masters as well as a wide range of soul, swing, blues, and gospel. The four nonetss are eight-piece ensembles that blend the sounds of big band with small group performance. There are also multiple combos, each consisting of four to six members.
Jazz Orchestra I
The nineteen-piece Jazz Orchestra I (The Be-Bop Spartans) is a young, swinging college band playing the repertoire of the great jazz masters as well as a wide range of soul, swing, blues, and gospel. The group’s instrumentation includes saxophone, trombone, trumpet, bass, drums, piano, guitar, and vocalists. Conductor: Rodney Whitaker
Jazz Orchestra II and III
Conductors: Anthony Stanco (Orchestra II), TBD (III)
Jazz Nonet I
The eight-piece Jazz Nonet I blends the sounds of big band with small group performance. This ensemble features the most advanced students of MSU’s jazz area, giving them plenty of opportunities for improvisation. The group’s instrumentation includes bass, drums, piano, baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and vocals. Conductor: Walter Blanding
Jazz Nonets II-IV
Conductors: Randy Napoleon (II); Michael Dease (III); Xavier Davis (IV)
Jazz Combos
There are as many as twelve jazz combos in the Jazz Studies program, each consisting of four to six members forming quartets, quintets, and sextets. Students audition at the beginning of each school year and are placed in a combo, which is coached by one of the combo directors or graduate assistants. Class performance time takes place weekly where combos perform two selections. Combo members are responsible for their own repertoire and arrangements.
