Jazz ensemble plays under new director
By James Allen
Staff Writer
A smooth, soul-moving sound issued from the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center, on Tuesday, Oct. 2. This resonant music played by the University of Indianapolis Jazz Ensemble made the most stressful weeks seem like a walk in the park.
The Jazz Ensemble is a group of UIndy music students that is normally directed by accomplished jazz musician and associate music professor Harry Miedema.
But Miedema currently is on sabbatical so he can take time to compose his own music.
Miedema has been with the school as a jazz instructor since 1985, and he will return to direct the Jazz Ensemble in the spring semester.
Miedema’s interim replacement is faculty adjunct professor Jack Helsley, an accomplished bass player and jazz enthusiast.
Helsley has been working with musicians from both DePauw University and UIndy for over four years.
According to Helsley, he does not want to change the jazz program at UIndy but wants to keep it intact for Miedema when he returns next semester.
The Oct. 2 concert was Helsley’s first as director at UIndy. At the performance he jokingly commented on the nature of jazz. He was reflecting on the idea that slight changes in jazz can unexpectedly create wonderful music.
“[Jazz is] like an iPod. Sometimes it plays out of tune and doesn’t always do what you expect it to do,” he said.
The concert itself was a must for any music enthusiast. Helsley put together a fun arrangement for the semester’s first Jazz concert.
It featured many transcribed works from Duke Ellington. These songs were well-played by the students, especially the soloists.
To the delight of the audience, the second part of the show was accompanied by Oliver Nelson Jr., a flutist well-known in the music world. He and Helsley have been playing music together for many years and have been good friends.
Nelson is one of the many artists that the UIndy music department brings in for concerts. The university often brings in accomplished musicians to entertain audiences and give better opportunities for the students to grow in their abilities as musicians.
Nelson’s father, Oliver Sr., who passed away in 1975, produced music that can be heard in television shows such as “The Six Million Dollar Man” and in films such as the 2007 release “Shrek the Third.”
Helsley, while arranging the program, said the late Nelson Sr. composed much of the music he had put together.
Freshman saxophonist Dan Rauscher was honored to be in the show. It was his first college jazz band performance.
Rauscher, who has been playing in a jazz band since his freshman year of high school, actually took weekly lessons with Miedema last year before attending UIndy.
Rauscher played a couple of solos in the show, and he said that his nerves calmed as the program progressed.
The Jazz Ensembles’ next performance is Tuesday, Nov. 20, and it will be free to all students. LP credit will be available for any who attend the concert.
