A student arrangement of a Super Nintendo song and an unpublished arrangement of a well-known R&B song are just two of the many pieces that will be performed by the El Camino Concert Jazz Band and Vocal Ensemble at their May 29 concert.
Jazz Studies and Concert Jazz Band director David Moyer said he is excited for the band to perform “Get Out of My Life Woman,” by Thad Jones, Mel Lewis and Joe Williams.
“That arrangement isn’t published, you can’t really purchase that or find it,” Moyer said. “I had to tap into my musical network of musician friends and I found a guy in Paris that transcribed all of the record by ear…he ended by selling me the arrangement, so I’m really excited to do that one.”
The Concert Jazz Band will also perform “Human Nature” by Michael Jackson, “Chelsea Bridge” by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, and several other songs at the Marsee Auditorium at 8 p.m.
Music major Jacob Powell, 18, introduced his own arrangement from a Super Nintendo game that will be performed at the spring concert.
“It’s from a video game called Super Mario Odyssey and at the time it was very new,” Powell said. “It was one of the final worlds and there was a jazz performance in there that really inspired me to write it.”
Re-imagining “Jump Up Super Star” into an arrangement for a big band took around five months, Powell said.
“It was his call,” Moyer said. “He asked me if he could bring it in and if we could read it out. It just worked really well for our band so we are doing that as well.”
Powell co-arranged it with his friend Daniel Steinhauser, who helped with the rhythm section–piano, drums and bass–along with the wind parts: saxophones, trumpets and trombones.
Moyer said there are two jazz band classes: Studio Jazz and Concert Jazz.
“My band tends to focus a little more on modern styles of music that can be re-imagined through a jazz lens,” he said.
The Jazz Studies class focuses on both traditional jazz and modern styles while the Concert Jazz Band focuses on just traditional jazz.
“I learn a lot in that class but also don’t feel like I’m getting judged,” Powell said.
Isaiah Williams, 19, will be singing with the Vocal Ensemble as well as performing his own solo.
“You have horns, strings, guitarists, pianists all working together to make one sound and I get to sing over top of that [which] is something I’ve dreamed about,” Williams said.
Williams said he is excited for every song, but “especially for [his] solo.”
“We have put a lot of work into making a good show and polishing our delivery,” he said. “I think whether or not you like jazz or love jazz, people can find something in it.”
