Jazz Ensemble performs for Troy students

by Belle Johnson

Jazz music filled Claudia Crosby Theater at the Troy University Jazz Ensemble’s second concert of the semester. This concert was a little different than normal as a new group opened for the ensemble.

“We had The Blue Root Jazz Combo open for us,” said Dr. Dave Camwell, the Director of Jazz Studies. “They're playing around town a lot, so we thought it would be a great way to feature them.”

The Blue Root Jazz Combo is a smaller group consisting of both current and former members of the Troy Jazz Ensemble. The full jazz ensemble followed the group with six pieces with both Latin and swing sounds. Some of the pieces included the Sesame Street Theme, Gusto Importa and a crowd favorite, La Fiesta. 

“My favorite piece, honestly, was La Fiesta,” said Ethan Kellerman, a freshman music education major from Foley, Alabama. Kellerman serves as a trumpet player in the full jazz ensemble. “It has a bunch of screaming trumpet notes, wonderful sax lines, and the flute line.”

“I’m a big trumpet guy, so all the screaming trumpet parts and then all the drum solos and everything…it was just really cool,” said Andrew Reynold, a freshman music education major from Meadowbrook, Alabama. 

Those who missed the concert have a few more opportunities to catch a Troy Jazz Ensemble performance. 

“The next thing for this band is to be playing part of our Mic Check Festival, which is sort of a pop and jazz music festival,” Camwell said. “We have some fantastic, world-class guest artists that will be joining the band for those performances. We're also going to be playing at the TroyFest Art & Craft Festival as a nice way to wrap up the semester playing for the community.

“We’re really thrilled with how the band gets better every concert and we’re really appreciative of all the support from the community.”

Kellerman encourages those who are interested in joining the jazz ensemble to try out and says he enjoys being a part of the band.

“I’ve enjoyed doing jazz band,” Kellerman said. “It’s really fun. You get to play a lot of cool pieces. Overall, it’s an enjoyable experience and any newcomers or any people wanting to try out for it, I highly suggest it.”