The Fieldston Jazz program is preparing for its highly anticipated annual concert, set to take place on December 12 at 7 PM in the Student Commons. Featuring an extraordinary blend of jazz classics and contemporary compositions, this year’s performance promises to make for an unforgettable evening for jazz aficionados and novices alike.
The program will contain a diverse assortment of pieces by established jazz composers such as John Coltrane and Tito Puente, carefully curated to give the audience a broad range of jazz repertoire while showcasing the depth of students’ immense talent and passion.
The concert will feature each of Fieldston’s seven unique jazz groups, with each bringing their own style and character to their performance. The large ensembles — Jazz Ensemble for beginners and Concert Jazz for more advanced musicians — will perform band music by the likes of Nat Adderley and Charles Mingus. The smaller ensembles — Jazz Improvisation I, II, III and IV, each of which contains six to seven of Fieldston’s most skilled players per grade — will perform lively pieces with intricate improvisations and impressive displays of technical ability. Fieldston Band Director Eric Gilley teaches and conducts the Jazz Ensemble, while Tom Christensen leads the other groups. Christensen, as well as percussion teacher Scott Latzky, are major jazz players on the New York scene.
Trumpeter Rachel Stulman (Form V), a member of the Improvisation IV group, expressed her excitement for the upcoming concert: “I am most excited to hear what pieces the other groups play. I am in Concert Jazz and Improv IV so I’ve been working on four different pieces between those two classes, but I’m really looking forward to hearing what other groups have prepared, especially the musicians in Improv I who are new to the jazz program.” The program’s supportive ambiance is one of its defining characteristics, as it allows students to feel comfortable expressing themselves and being creative, even at the risk of making mistakes.
As the concert draws nearer, classes enter their final stages of preparation. “Right now, we’re about eight or nine classes away from the concert,” said Christensen, “so we’re really starting to nail things down and decide who’s going to solo and things like that.”
Christensen highlighted the student-led nature of these concerts, with students deciding what melodies to improvise and what arrangements to play. His unwavering trust in his students’ ability to practice, master and perform such demanding music at a high level is a testament to their boundless creativity and talent. “I like to get them really prepared for the concert so that when they get up on stage, they can have maximum creativity and have the most fun,” remarked Christensen. “If they know the material, they can go up there and just ‘go’!”
Fieldston’s jazz concerts are some of the most impressive events the school has to offer, yet they are not nearly as well-attended by the student body as they deserve to be. The upcoming jazz concert is an excellent opportunity to enjoy a fun night out, watch one’s friends perform and revel in the beauty and complexity of jazz music. Saskia Sommer (Form IV) looks forward to the concert, saying, “I believe the jazz concert will be an excellent opportunity to not only listen to incredible music but enrich my artistic experience by taking in new forms of art.”
The concert will take place on December 12 at 7 PM in the Student Commons.
