UA LITTLE ROCK WIND ENSEMBLE CONCERT

It is my intent to one day, in the near future, see the Stella Boyle Concert Hall packed out wall to wall, floor to floor (this includes the balcony) with standing room only during concerts presented by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Jazz, Wind and Percussion Ensembles.

As I continue to catch up with the diligent and devoted doctors of music who direct these ensembles, I hope to also catch up with the student body and faculty to apprise them beforehand when these concerts take place.

Now mind you, they are announced in various ways on our school websites, but I would like to share why one should not sleep on these concerts and make plans to attend as often as possible.

Given the fact that we are in an academic environment that inspires and strongly encourages the study of culture and history, there is so much that we can learn while enjoying the musical compositions and collaborations performed by the personnel that make up these ensembles.

Supporting them by attending is the same as supporting future music teachers, instructors, professors and even Arkansas Symphony Orchestra (ASO) members or whatever orchestra they might end up in.

Speaking of ASO members, our very own Drs. Michael Underwood and Justin Bunting are just that. They are able to bring the exquisite professionalism that they display at Robinson Hall or wherever you may find the ASO to our very own Stella Boyle Concert Hall as they train, instruct and direct the student musicians that study, practice and rehearse at the Fine Arts Building here on campus on a daily basis.

Before the most recent Jazz and Wind Ensemble concerts were presented over the past two weeks, I sat down with Dr. Underwood to talk about the pieces that would be performed.

Be sure to catch the previous article written by yours truly about the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Jazz Ensemble concert that was presented on Valentine’s Day if you haven’t already.

Dr. Underwood shared with me that his philosophy on choosing music has little to do with the band literature that we are currently hearing these days. He stated that he wants to play music by established, great composers.

His selection of the “Miller’s Dance” by the Spanish composer Manuel De Falla, which was originally written for the piano, came from a larger piece titled “The ThreeCornered Hat,” a ballet.

In the UA Little Rock Wind Ensemble’s performance of this piece, community member Al Farmer was featured on the oboe.

Farmer is an accomplished musician who could probably have a book written on his experience playing for bands and orchestras, but I will just mention a few that you could catch him in such as his church orchestra at Geyer Springs First Baptist Church on I-30 heading toward Bryant, and also the North Little Rock Community Band that is filled to the brim with band directors, student musicians and even retired musicians who continue to play their instruments just for the love of it.

For those who are graduates that enjoy music, Dr. Underwood suggested that the next piece they play is of great interest. Paul Hindemith, who Dr. Underwood called the “Father of Great Composers of the Modern Era,” actually wrote a sonata for every instrument, and was very passionate about music education.

Hindemith composed “Interludium No. 6 in E Flat Major” which Dr. Underwood arranged for this ensemble to play.

He chose this march because it matched the spirit of band literature. He felt that the Wind Ensemble could play it well because it is straightforward.

In explaining his strategy when rehearsing with student musicians, Dr. Underwood said, “You can’t let anything that’s not up to standard pass; rehearsal is the time to grow and tedious rehearsals are worth the rewarding outcome.”

The second to last presentation in the UA Little Rock Wind Ensemble concert were three selections from the composition written around the turn of the 20th century titled “Sea Pieces” by American composer Edward McDowell.

Edward McDowell was a prolific composer who wrote a piano concerto that is pretty famous. The three selections that were played were “From a Wandering Iceberg,” “Song” and “To the Sea.”

The final piece was another march called “His Honor,” which was composed by Henry Fillmore.

He had his own band just like another popular American composer by the name of John Phillip Sousa during the late 19th and early 20th century. The piece was written for a Major in Cincinnati at the time.

Underwood described it as having a lot of chromaticism in every theme, such as in the first theme (introduction) where you hear a descending (falling) chromatic scale.

The second theme highlights half-steps and then a trio features rising chromaticism.

He concluded his description stating that the way Henry Fillmore uses chromaticism is entertaining. Dr. Underwood closed out his interview with this statement: “Music is best when it can be shared, it’s all about sharing. I want my students to be just as excited as me to play it.”

BY VAL BELL

Ua Little Rock Jazz Ensemble Is All About Love

Love is in the air, Happy Valentine’s Day and all that jazz! Speaking of jazz, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Jazz Ensemble performed on Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Stella Boyle Concert Hall. This experience was a sweet treat for all who attended, and a special outing for couples before or after their romantic dinner to celebrate the occasion of love being in the air, even on a rainy day. Once again as I did last semester, I had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Michael Underwood, the conductor for both the UA Little Rock Jazz and Wind Ensembles, to speak on two of the upcoming concerts that he will be conducting this spring. After this concert, the next concert scheduled is for the Wind Ensemble on Feb. 20.

The concert’s theme was love, of course. Dr. Underwood described it as nostalgic and from his grandparents’ era. It was comprised of four songs, starting with the first piece titled “I’ll Take Romance” (1937), a swing chart composed by Oscar Hammerstein; “Moonlight Serenade” (1939), a swing ballad composed by Glen Miller during World War II; and “Stolen Moments” (1960) composed by Oliver Nelson, featuring several improvisations from student musicians Josh Warren on trumpet, Omar Delgado on vibraphone, Clifton Belcher on trombone, Dorian Izzo on guitar, Elijah Jennings on bass, Harris Hogue and Renee Buras-Sims on alto saxophone and Joshua Gregory on tenor saxophone. The final piece was titled “Jump, Jive, an’ Wail”

(1956), which represents the Big Band era and was composed by Louis Prima. During this piece you can see Omar Delgado jump on drums, Joshua Gregory switch to clarinet, Kaleb Hatley featured on trumpet and Harris Hogue again on alto sax.

I got a chance to catch up with a few of these cool musicians. When I asked them what they LOVE about playing in the UA Little Rock Jazz Ensemble, Clifton Belcher stated that he “loves being able to perform on stage and entertain people with the music that we play.” Joshua Gregory replied that he “loves the opportunity to play solos on both the instruments that he plays” (clarinet and saxophone). Renee Buras-Sims said, “I love how our ensemble is so close-knit, depending on each other to create our sound of music and how everything is so intertwined.”

What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day but by doing what you love? Playing or even just listening to great music is just the thing for students, staff, faculty and connoisseurs of the fine art we call music. I will be back soon to talk about what the Wind Ensemble has been working on for our listening pleasure as disclosed by Dr. Underwood, but until then, be sure to stay tuned to the Forum! Look forward to stepping out in the rain if you must to hear four great songs from the past that are still held dear to our hearts in the present and will continue to be relevant in the future, because they are just that good. Hope to see YOU there.

BY VAL BELL