Master Class
March 2, 2011|Events
Officially, the event that draws jazz lovers from around the country to Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel each February is called the Elmhurst College Jazz Festival. But to the College’s student-musicians, it’s simply the Weekend of No Sleep.
It’s not just that the excess of rehearsals, performances and clinics leaves little time for rest. There’s also the excitement of being in the presence of some of the world’s best players. Who can sleep after you’ve just spent a few hours rehearsing with some of the same jazz greats you grew up listening to?
“This is the biggest thing we do all year,” said Joe Re, a senior pianist. Re and Elmhurst’s top jazz combo had just completed their turn on stage, a Friday afternoon set that would later earn them a nod from the judges as one of the event’s outstanding ensembles. But in the basement warren of offices and classrooms that serves as the festival’s backstage, the post-show buzz among the combo’s members was not about their just-completed set. It was about the previous night’s rehearsal. They had played with the festival’s guest artists and judges—trumpeter Byron Stripling, drummer Dennis Mackrel and composer/keyboardist Michael Abene. After the rehearsal, Stripling had pulled the Elmhurst trumpeters aside for a master class in the art of the horn. “It’s pretty amazing that we get to hang out and play with these world-class musicians,” Re said. “We don’t sleep much this weekend.”
For 44 years, some of the world’s great jazz artists have been coming to the chapel each winter to evaluate and educate top college jazz bands. To show the youngsters how it’s done, the pros cap each of the festival’s three days with featured performances. The roster of talent that has played in the chapel over the decades is jaw-dropping. Clark Terry and Bill Evans. Dee Dee Bridgewater and Diana Krall. Cannonball Adderly and Dizzy Gillespie.
But the festival has always been as much about teaching young musicians as it is about showcasing the big-name pros. Ensembles from 30 colleges came to the festival this year. Elmhurst was represented by three groups—and all three earned “Outstanding” citations from the judges. Besides the jazz combo, directed by adjunct professor Mark Colby, there was Professor Susan Moninger’s vocal jazz ensemble Late Night Blues and the Elmhurst College Jazz Band, led by the festival’s director, Doug Beach.
When visiting band directors praise the event as the country’s best college jazz festival, they usually cite the interactions between the college musicians and the pros. The festival, they say, provides an unparalleled chance for young musicians to learn from the best.
“It’s inspiring for these students to hear the pros and to get one-on-one time with them,” Colby said as he waited for his combo to take the stage. “It’s motivating. It makes you want to get back in the practice room and keep working.”
Backstage after their set, the Elmhurst musicians were still talking about their quality time with the pros. “It’s pretty cool that they’re willing to take the time to work with us,” said senior trumpet player Dave Kaiser of the festival’s guest artists. “I’m a big fan of Byron Stripling, and to learn from him is a great experience.”
Still ahead were more great experiences. The Elmhurst big band’s turn on stage was coming up, and then a Sunday night finale showcase, playing alongside Stripling, Colby, Mackrel and Abene.
“We’re being judged by the best,” Re said. “It’s an exciting thing. And a little nerve-racking.”
There would be time for sleep later.
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Photo: Sara Schroeder
