Jazz ensemble kicks off concert series

October 03, 2006

By Christian Holley, Staff Writer.  in theManeater 
Posted October 03, 2006.

In front of a packed Stotler Auditorium in Memorial Union, the sound of greatness was heard. The first of many to come, Monday night was the first recital for the 2006-07 Jazz 1 ensemble’s concert season.

Directed by Doug Leibinger, the director of jazz performance studies, the ensemble is the most elite and competitive jazz ensemble on campus.

Monday night’s performance consisted of moderate ‘50s swing music, featuring transcriptions of several prominent past and contemporary composers, as well as some of Leibinger’s original arrangements.

Leibinger is an accomplished trombonist and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music performance from the University of Miami. He has toured with bands throughout Latin America, and he came to MU in June 2005.

Although every musician’s contribution to the ensemble was outstanding, a few, such as first tenor saxophonist Neil Ostercampf and first trombonist David Witter, stood out. Almost all of the songs featured an Ostercampf solo, each with a bright, somewhat edgy sound. Ostercampf is a first-year graduate student concentrating in music performance.

The opener, “Beyond the Limit,” a Bob Mintzer tune, began with a mellow tenor saxophone solo by Ostercampf. It also ended with a declining tempo. Many of the other tunes made use of muted trumpets and unconventional jazz instruments, such as the bass trombone and bass clarinet. Fittingly, the baritone saxophonist was doubled on bass clarinet.

After the first three songs, guest tenor saxophonist Greg Aker was featured. An Iowa City, Iowa, native, Aker has been involved in music since he was 5 and has been playing the tenor saxophone since he was 12. He holds a degree in music performance from the University of Northern Iowa, and before coming to Columbia in June, he lived in Topeka, Kan.

He said Columbia is “a breath of fresh air” compared to Topeka. Since coming to Columbia, he has worked as the assistant director of the We Always Swing Jazz Series and as a booking agent for National Pastimes Productions. The three songs that he played on, including a song specifically written for him, were mostly long, melodic solos with the rest of the band providing backup.

The most interesting piece of the concert was the last song, “Hoofin’,” which featured a improvisational duel between Ostercampf and Aker, which the crowd applauded. Although the saxophone section as a whole was featured prominently, there wasn’t an alto saxophone solo. Eric Jankowski, the lead alto, did have prominent parts on both the alto and soprano saxophone, and he gave a spirited performance. Jankowski is graduate student and an assistant to Michael Knight, the director of Marching Mizzou.

The “We Always Swing” Jazz Series will present its 11th Annual Downtown Columbia Jazz, Wine and Beer Pub Crawl in downtown Columbia on Thursday.