Practice is perfect for the jazz orchestra at their weekly forums – Sonoma State Star

The SSU Music Department hosted a jazz forum on Wednesday with guest Lisa Mezzacappa. The department holds forums every Wednesday from 1:00 pm to 2:45 pm This session was chaired by Ian Carey at Schroeder Hall in Room 1029.

Jazz forums are courses that expose jazz majors and guests to different styles of jazz. Dr Douglas Leibinger, Director of Jazz Studies, said: “There is a beauty and complexity in jazz that cannot be seen in other genres of music, it is like the deep ocean and without. end where there is a mystery. ”

For Wednesday’s jazz forum, the jazz orchestra worked on a song to perfect. The orchestra broke down the song and practiced each individual part. According to Ian Carey, the director of the jazz group, this is the best way for the orchestra to practice its music. “Jazz teaches people to tackle big problems and break them into smaller parts. By breaking them down into these smaller parts, it is easier to tackle what an individual considered to be such a difficult and difficult problem in the beginning. ”

During the event, there were constructive comments and critiques from guest Lisa Mezzacappa, a San Francisco-based songwriter, bassist, conductor and producer. Commenting on the orchestra’s work, she said: “You did a great job of capturing the dreamy, nostalgic and brooding quality of the song… You expressed it perfectly with your arrangements, the beautiful intensity.”

Mezzacappa provided insight into how the jazz orchestra can grow as a musician.

“A lot of times an exercise like this can be a lot of fun because it gets you practicing at different intervals,” she said. “You also practice different techniques… it becomes a process of experimentation and exploration, and trying to get into those corners so that you can surprise yourself and each other.”

The forums allow the Jazz Orchestra to practice in a non-judgmental space and to have feedback from Jazz professionals.