FSU Jazz Combo Concert

Pealer Recital Hall, PAC

FSU’s Department of Music Presents Jazz Combo in Concert

Frostburg State University’s Department of Music will present its Jazz Combo, directed by Tom Harrison, in concert on Tuesday, April 29, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pealer Recital Hall of FSU’s Woodward D. Pealer Performing Arts Center. The concert is free and open to the public. This event will also be livestreamed; the link will be posted at www.frostburg.edu/concerts.

In addition to Harrison on bass, performers will include Gabe Hick on alto sax, Vincent Hangarter on tenor sax, Sam White on trumpet and piano, Doug Holtz on trombone, vocalist Cat Owens on piano, Matt Alexander on bass and Daniel Hicks on drums.

The repertoire of the Jazz Combo focuses on jazz standards which includes some vocal as well as instrumental selections with Cat Owens singing three of the selections in the concert – “500 Miles High”, “At Last” and “It Could Happen to You.”

“500 Miles High” appeared on the album “Light as a Feather” recorded in 1972 by Chick Corea and Return to Forever and was written by pianist Corea and lyricist Neville Potter.

The tune “At Last”, composed by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren for the 1941 movie “Sun Valley Serenade”, was performed by the Glen Miller Orchestra and later made popular in the 1960 version recorded by rhythm and blues singer Etta James.

“It Could Happen to You”, written by Jimmy Van Husen and Johnny Burke, was first heard in the film “And the Angels Sing” in 1944 and has become a classic jazz standard. The Jazz Combo will perform this and the Dexter Gordon favorite “Fried Bananas” as a medley with both tunes sharing the same chord progression, thus making Dexter’s tune a contrafact.

“Gazelle”, written and recorded by saxophonist Joe Henderson on his 1971 album “In Pursuit of Blackness” features a rhythmically deceptive pattern which has the listener guessing the meter.

One of jazz saxophonist Stanley Turrentine’s most popular albums is “Sugar”, recorded in 1970. The title song could be considered soul-jazz and may have reached a wider audience than his straight-ahead jazz albums.

Pianist Horace Silver composed and recorded the swing tune “Strollin’” for his album Horace-Scope in 1960.

A second Chick Corea selection, “Sea Journey”, will be performed as an instrumental and is stylistically like a Bossa Nova, but with Corea’s Spanish flavor. It was first released on a 1973 album of bassist Stanley Clarke and appeared on an album by vibraphonist Gary Burton as well.

“Someday My Prince Will Come” was first heard when Snow White sang it to the seven dwarfs as a bedtime story in the 1937 animated film. Composed by Frank Churchill and Larry Morey, the song became a jazz classic recorded by Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis and many more jazz greats. In 1978 guitarist Jim Hall wrote a contrafact called “Waltz New” over the same chord changes and the Combo will perform both melodies together.

The modern jazz standard “Solar” is credited to Miles Davis and the first two measures are engraved on his tombstone. The song may have originally been from the pen of Chuck Wayne, although Davis changed a few things and had it copyrighted in his name in 1963 after having already recorded it on his 1954 album “Miles Davis Quintet.” Pianist Bill Evans’ version from the album “Sunday at the Village Vanguard” may be the best-known version of the song.

With the 1959 release of the album “Kind of Blue”, Davis pioneered the modal jazz movement abandoning the complexities of the bebop style giving the performers more freedom to create melodic ideas over basic chord progressions. “Freddie Freeloader” is a blues from that album which is known possibly as the most definitive jazz album ever recorded.

For more information, contact FSU’s Department of Music at 301-687-4109.

Situated in the mountains of Allegany County, Frostburg State University is one of the 12 institutions of the University System of Maryland. FSU is a comprehensive, residential regional university and serves as an educational and cultural center for Western Maryland. For more information, visit www.frostburg.edu or facebook.com/frostburgstateuniversity. Follow FSU on X @frostburgstate.

FSU is committed to making all its programs, services and activities accessible to persons with disabilities. To request accommodations through the ADA Compliance Office, call 301-687-3035 or use a Voice Relay Operator at 1-800-735-2258.

Music, Performance, Recital