Quartet delivers
The University of Indianapolis welcomed alumnus and trumpeter Wade Baker to Ruth Lilly Performance Hall on Nov. 6. Baker performed as a part of the Jazz Concert Series, this time in a quartet.
Director of Jazz Studies Harry Miedema instructed Baker at UIndy. Miedema said that hearing former students play music around the city is always fun, but that is not his main desire.
“I hope that all of my students find what it is that they really enjoy in life,” Miedema said. “Not everybody is going to play music for a living. But it broadens us as human beings to be involved in the arts.”
Baker said he loves playing jazz. In order to be a full-time musician, he learned how to play instruments besides the trumpet.
The jazz quartet of Jamie Newman (keys), Wade Baker (mic), and Nick Tucker (upright base) deliver a magnificent performance in Ruth Lilly Performance Hall. Photo by James Figy
According to Miedema, having eclectic tastes is characteristic of contemporary jazz musicians.
“It’s not the 1950s anymore, and there are just a lot of avenues to explore,” Miedema said.
Baker’s quartet was composed of Indiana musicians Gene Markiewicz on drums, Nick Tucker on bass and Jamie Newman on keys. They performed songs from Baker’s 2010 album “Profilin’,” starting off the night with “Blues for Buselli.”
The band also mixed in jazz standards from musicians as different as Cole Porter and Freddie Hubbard, finishing the evening with Hubbard’s “Blues for Duane.” According to Baker, the set list was nearly as improvised as the solos.
“Classical musicians would have had their programs planned out for three months,” Baker said, joking. “The beauty of jazz is [that] it’s completely a reaction to the moment.”
According to Miedema, jazz is accessible to everyone.
“I always thought that music—art in general—was really great because you don’t have to be knowledgeable about anything. You can just like something, or not like it, and not know the reason why,” Miedema said.
Baker said that his last performance at UIndy in 2010 seemed surreal, since he had just graduated from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.
At 28, Baker said that he is at the younger side of the jazz scene. He hopes, however, that he can show others that you do not have to be old to dig the music.
