Saint Mary’s jazz groups kick off the year with Family Weekend concert Oct. 1

The 18-piece Saint Mary's University Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combo I will perform a concert at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1, in Figliulo Recital Hall, located in the SMU Performance Center.

This concert, part of SMU’s Family Weekend festivities, marks the release of the first big band CD “Staycation,” recorded by the jazz ensemble last February. It was produced and recorded by SMU music technology majors under the direction of Dr. John Paulson, professor of music, and Brett Huus, adjunct music faculty member and CEO of Soundstrations Studios in La Crosse, Wis. The CD will be available at the concert, in the campus bookstore and online at www.smumn.edu/music.

The jazz combo will lead off the concert with Herbie Hancock's famous “Cantaloupe Island,” arranged by the group, and freshman alto saxophonist Katie Kosiek will be featured on the ballad “Come Rain or Come Shine.” The closing set will be “Nutville” by Horace Silver. The big band will feature sophomore drummer Allen Mekash on Mark Talor’s “Power Play” and the trombone section on Dave Barduhn’s “Safety Net Blues.”

Also included in the set will be “Maputo” by Marcus Miller featuring Tommy Quinn on alto sax and freshman Webster Camden on guitar, “Big Cat” blues by Dave Hanson and the funky “Poultry in Motion” with solos by the always enthusiastic Benjamin Scott on tenor sax.

Jazz musician Anat Cohon and her jazz quartet will start off the Page Series season Friday, Oct. 8. Cohon, one of the top jazz clarinetists in the world, will be doing a free Masterclass on jazz improvisation with SMU's Jazz Combo I from 4 to 5 p.m. in Figliulo Recital Hall. She will join Paulson for a pre-show interview in the recital hall.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors and are available at the SMU Box Office, (507) 457-1715 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday or online at www.pagetheatre.org.