Festival Jazz Orchestra draws large crowd

The Festival Jazz Orchestra performed in front of an enthusiastic audience on Tuesday night at the Musical Arts Center auditorium as part of the Jacobs School of Music’s Summer Music Festival.\nConducted by professor David Baker, the orchestra was a reunion of IU faculty and students. \nBefore the concert, Baker spoke about the hardest part of rehearsing and preparing for the performance.\n“Time. Time to find time. So many things to be done,” he said. “There is an insatiable search for rest.”\nJazz music is Baker’s niche, he said. \n“Jazz is the synonym for who I am.”\nWorking with IU, his alma mater, Baker said he gives his best performances in front of friends and family.\n“It’s nice to be in the comforts of home perpetually,” he said.\nNick Stoneberger recently moved to Bloomington after eight years in Montreal, which features a large music scene with many renown names. Stoneberger lived three blocks from many venues in Montreal that featured free concerts and said he believes IU has a good environment for music.\n“IU does a good job of getting the word out,” he said. “The amount of music is comparable to Montreal.”\nThe concert itself featured music from composers such as Herbie Hancock, as well as solo performances. IU graduate and baritone saxophone player Ed Renz said the solos were all improvised.\n“Anytime you saw someone standing up, it was improvised,” he said.\nIU alumnus Roland Barber played trombone in the concert, while his twin brother Rahsaan, a saxaphone player, watched from the audience.\nRahsaan said he enjoyed watching his brother play and gave him a hug after the show.\n“I’ve got his back; he’s got mine,” he said. “You see your potential. Somebody with the same capabilities and passions. We feed off of each other.”\nStella Barber, mother of Roland and Rahsaan, said she was pleased with the concert.\n“It is nice to see (jazz) masterfully constructed by wonderfully centered people,” she said. “I enjoy hearing the grandness of the music and the nobleness of the musicians.”\nBaker said she believed the performance was great but was happy it was over after the long weeks of rehearsal.\n“It’s a relief, but a good relief,” he said. “They rose to the challenge.” \nThe Summer Music Festival began June 17 and continues through Aug. 4. In addition to the jazz concert, the Musical Arts Center will feature many classical performances and musicals, including L’elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love), in the near future. For more information on the Summer Music Festival, visit http://music.indiana.edu.