The Cal Poly Music Department is hosting this year’s “Cal Poly Jazz Combos Showcase” on Nov. 15, with double the number of participants compared to previous years. The free-admission event will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Davidson Music Center, room 217.
Four jazz combos from different jazz student groups will perform throughout the night. Attendees can expect to hear a mix of jazz standards, contemporary compositions, popular hits and original pieces from music and non-music majors. According to Dylan Johnson, the director of Jazz Combos, the night will be set up like a “mini concert,” and each group will take about half an hour to perform.
“It’s a smaller room so it’s really intimate, almost like a jazz club kind of environment instead of a big concert with lots of lights where you can’t see the students, see the audience. So it ends up being a lot of fun for them … they can see their friends. It’s more of a vibe, for lack of a better term,” Johnson said.
Although this showcase happens every year, Johnson explains that the most notable change in this year’s performance is the number of students interested. Going from last year, where they only had two combos to now four, the total students involved within the program has significantly increased.
The showcase is set up to allow students to perform pieces they have focused on this past quarter. Students are provided with more freedom surrounding this event, giving them the chance to plan their pieces without the teaching of an instructor.
“It gives us an opportunity to grow the program as much as we can … it’s just more exciting when people are really into doing it … and it creates more energy in the ensembles. We try to have a place for everybody who wants to do it,” Johnson said.
The preparation that goes into this showcase starts week 1 of the quarter, with combos using their designated class time to rehearse their chosen songs. The combos meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and each combo is named after the exact time they practice.
Beyond the given class time, there is more planning that goes on behind the scenes, such as group communication and organization.
“There’s a lot of logistical planning [that comes] with the structure of what songs we’re going to do where, and then how many times we’re going through the A section, and the form of it. I think just sorting out the form of it all is really important,” Helena Fuller, a “Nine a.m.” combo singer said.
Johnson hopes that those who attend the jazz performance can witness the hard work that each student brings to the stage. The showcase is meant to allow students to show off their dedication and skill through a fun collaboration with the audience.
“I’m really about it being fun and being entertaining and connecting with the audience. That’s something that I really try to teach and make important for the combos, that they’re not just thinking about their music and reading their music off their stands but actually trying to communicate this music that is not the most popular music,” Johnson said.
While the performance is set up for students to display their talents, it also takes place to share the joy of jazz with the San Luis Obispo community.
“It’s so fun to have [the performance] be such a living, breathing sort of thing that’s being created in the moment,” Fuller said.
Following this showcase, the Cal Poly Music Department and the Jazz Department will host their “Cal Poly Fall Jazz Concert: Sounds of Rhythm” next week, on Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Spanos Theatre.
