Williams Jazz Ensemble

Andy Jaffe, director
Guest Artist Gary Smulyan, saxophone

The Williams College Department of Music presents the Jazz Ensemble directed by Andy Jaffe on Friday, May 6 at 8 p.m. on the MainStage of the ’62 Center. This free event is open to the public but does require tickets. Please call the box office at 413-597-2425.

Once again, the Williams Jazz Ensemble presents an opportunity to share the music of a special artist whose talent offers something to please both jazz aficionados and layman alike.

Joining the group for this performance is veteran saxophonist Gary Smulyan, a denizen of the lower reed section in the tradition of Pepper Adams and Nick Brignola, two jazz greats who established the baritone saxophone as a thrilling alternative to the higher pitched alto or tenor sax. Mr. Smulyan also plays the bass clarinet, an instrument that has not been as strongly championed as its baritone sax cousin, but which is capable, nevertheless, of as much sensual intrigue. Mr. Smulyan’s resume reads like a marquee of his generation’s jazz aspirations: the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Woody Herman’s Young Thundering Herd, Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, the Mingus Epitaph band, and the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. Born on Long Island in 1956, Mr. Smulyan had but a short journey to Manhattan to rub shoulders on the bandstand and in the studio with such greats as Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie, and Stan Getz. He also performed and recorded with R&B and soul icons like Ray Charles, B.B. King, and Diana Ross. The Williams Jazz Ensemble is proud to share the stage with an artist of Gary Smulyan’s stature.

Also on the program is a reprise of Williams senior Rob Pasternak’s thesis composition, Cinematic Suite. This composition describes in a jazz idiom the emotional arc of an epic film. An inspired musical take on a modern form of story telling, Cinematic Suite begins with “Opening Credits” to establish the mood of the piece. “Evil Empire/Hello Hero” is a depiction of the hero as the lone beam of light in a world surrounded by darkness and chaos. “Our Journey” leads us through several disparate musical motifs, depicting the hero’s long and dangerous journey to the villain’s lair. In “Final Fight” the hero has reached the villain’s lair, and the two engage in an epic battle for the fate of mankind. The final scene is “Everlasting Peace?” With the villain vanquished, all is well…but is it really?

The Williams Jazz Ensemble (big band) plays formal concerts on campus, and also travels each year, with performances ranging from the Boston area to New York, as well as throughout Western Mass. In January 2008, the Ensemble was in residence at the University of the Americas in Puebla, Mexico.

Event Program