Renowned jazz trombonist John Fedchock plays along side the
DePauw Jazz Ensemble. The concert featured Fedchock compositions.
SAM CARAVANA / THE DEPAUW
The DePauw University Jazz Ensemble’s performance this past Tuesday at Kresge had a little bit of everything.
It began with a guest-performance from Greencastle Middle School’s jazz band, something DePauw had also put on first semester. Each song performed by the band was directed by a member of the Jazz Ensemble. The program is financed through a grant from the School of Music.
“[It’s] a fantastic opportunity, for them and for us,” said the ensemble's director Steve Snyder, who is in his first year at DePauw. “The idea is that it’s something we can do for the community…It benefits…the ones in the Jazz Ensemble because they get experience working with young students in that kind of a setting.”
The concert, however, was headlined by a guest performance by one of the modern jazz world’s most prominent musicians in trombonist John Fedchock.
Having emerged in the 1980s, Fedchock has been writing and playing in New York City for more than 20 years. He has also released four CDs with his group, John Fedchock New York Big Band.
The Jazz Ensemble played pieces either written or arranged by Fedchock, including “Brazilian Fantasy” and “Midnight Passage.”
“Fedchock came into his first rehearsal with us the day before, and I think he was pleasantly surprised to hear how prepared we were,” said first-year bassist Leland Nelson, who, like everyone else, was impressed by Fedchock’s performance. “Our jaws dropped every time he took a solo…his chops are of such a high caliber. He has my utmost respect.”
The performance was also filled with solos by Nelson, first-year saxophonists Spencer Schillerstrom and Tyler Schaefers and sophomore trombonist Kevin Killeen.
Despite having made themselves familiar with the pieces, the Jazz Ensemble only had an hour-and-a-half rehearsal and a sound check to practice with Fedchock himself.
“It’s always hard to gauge, when you’re sending music to a group you’ve never worked with, if you’re sending…the appropriate stuff,” said Fedchock. “But it fit them really and they worked really hard…I thought it was a perfect match.”
Snyder especially noticed the easy transition students and Fedchock made when feeling each other out.
“There wasn’t a whole lot of adjustment that [Fedchock] was making in what it was that we were doing…[just] little things,” said Snyder. “Which [is] great, when you can get down to that…nitty-gritty level where you’re like…‘let’s add this little nice detail, this little subtle thing that will really make this better’.”
Snyder had always wanted to bring a guest artist in to perform with the Jazz Ensemble. Having known various DePauw faculty members and happening to be in the area, Fedchock was indeed the “perfect fit.”
But with the performance as a whole, the Jazz Ensemble demonstrated the amount of improvement they have made throughout the entirety of the school year.
“My parents said it was the most professional jazz band concert they’ve seen at DePauw, and I think I agree,” said senior pianist Jennifer Peacock. “I’m really happy with it.”
The Jazz Ensemble will be playing at The Duck on May 7th, and will also be playing for DePauw Under the Stars on May 16th.