Latin Jazz Octet makes debut performance

Grammy-nominated jazz artist, arranger, educator and composer Wayne Wallace debuted his Latin Jazz Octet at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Bear’s Place.

Wallace is best known as a famous trombonist who composes Latin jazz music from San Francisco.

Last year Wallace joined the IU Jacobs School of Music faculty as one of the professors of practice in jazz.

“I came to Bloomington because I wanted to be a part of such a divine and wonderful community,” he said. “We decided to perform tonight since it seemed like a great time and place for people to understand and appreciate the beautiful melodies that Latin jazz music offers.”

Wallace is also known for having his own record label, Patois Records, which supports and records improvisational and jazz-themed music for overlooked artists.

The label helps educators with teaching improvisation in jazz and increases the knowledge of listeners through its music.

Wallace’s band consists of four trombones and an Afro-Cuban rhythm section with a drum set, congas, a piano and an electric bass.

Members include IU jazz studies students Mitch Shiner on drums, Jamal Baptiste on piano and Sam Weber, Michael Nearpass and Brennan Johns on trombone.

Some of the group members in Wallace’s band work as jazz professors for IU, such as  percussionist Michael Spiro and bass player Jeremy Allen.

“This is the first performance as a group, so I can’t say that we’re really noted for anything just yet,” Allen said. “Our goal for our performance is just to expose people to this discrete form of music, and also to enjoy ourselves when doing so.”

At the concert, the Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Octet promoted its two albums, “Latin Jazz — Jazz Latin” and “To Hear from There.”

Each song the band played ranged from soft to up-tempo jazz beats that many people at the bar grooved to.

Most of Bear Place’s entertainment room was taken up by viewers of many ages.

The audience members swayed to the beats and harmonies the band played.

One of the members at the concert, music major Veronica Allen, said she was generally pleased with Wallace’s performance.

“The Latin Jazz played tonight has cast such a hold on me that I really cannot explain,” Veronica said. “The rhythms I jammed to were culturally influenced and dynamic, creating a form of music that I have never listened to before.”