There are few notes Dayton Jazz Ensemble can’t conquer

Photo via Emma Rustad

Patrick Jones | Contributing Writer

A jazz band of roughly 20 University of Dayton students sits for their first concert of the year on this cold February night, a concert they were not entirely sure was going to happen.

The Dayton Jazz Ensemble (DJE) is “an auditioned big band that offers a traditional and contemporary
experience combining the skill of interpreting challenging written music with the art of improvisation,” according to UD’s Department of Music website. While the DJE is one of the university’s premier jazz bands, it is also “a group that is made up of mostly non-music majors.” A fact, junior pianist Brendan Ash believes, that makes the band “special.”

For a long time, the ensemble’s instructor has been Willie Morris III, Ph.D., an associate professor of music. He has served as an imperative part of the group and is loved by all his students. At the end of last fall semester, he announced he would be taking a step back as an instructor to go on sabbatical because he had to complete his doctoral research on the saxophone.

At the beginning of this semester, the university had a replacement lined up and ready. So, the band began practice under this new instructor’s guidance. But unforeseen circumstances arose three weeks into his tenure and he had to resign as the group’s leader, a departure effective immediately.

Now the band was left without an instructor and, furthermore, direction. They were unsure of their group’s future and the clock to their spring concert was ticking.

That was until Professor James Leslie stepped up. Leslie (known by his students as “JL”) has been at the university since January 1999. He’s the longtime instructor of another UD jazz group, the University Jazz Band (UJB). Leslie and the ensemble wasted no time getting to work. They managed to put together a beautiful six-song set. A set of which love and blues were the theme, fitting for the Feb. 19 concert date, shortly after Valentine’s Day. Fortunately, a bit of love was still in the air for the ensemble.

Their set began with an instrumental piece by Cole Porter, who wrote “I Get a Kick Out of You,” written for the Broadway play “Anything Goes,” then later popularized by Frank Sinatra, “Love for Sale.” Within moments of sitting, instruments in hand, they were off and running with the song popularized by Buddy Rich’s Big Band off their album “Big Swing Face.” At the conclusion of that song — which featured solos from pianist Brendan Ash, Adam Fournier on tenor sax, and Luke Ledwon on vibraphone– Leslie teased a big secret we’d “have to wait until the end to hear.”

For the ensemble’s second song, Leslie called out the band’s singer, Amelia Tortorici, to sing a stunning rendition of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s love song, “Dindi” (pronounced jin-jee), a piece that slowed a little and highlighted the band’s piano and vocals from Ash and Tortorici.

After that, the band went to Wes Montgomery’s “Full House” for their fourth offering. It featured a handful of excellent solos: Hezekiah Cox on trombone, Zade McIntosh on trumpet, Adam Fournier on tenor sax, and Miles De Keyser on alto sax.

Following was another Antonio Carlos Jobim piece, “Chega de Saudade” – or known in its English title, “No More Blues.” The song was sung beautifully by Tortorici and accompanied by a superb solo from Miles De Keyser on alto sax.

The ensemble went all in on its second-to-last piece, Milt “Bags” Jackson eponymously named “Bags’ Groove.” It featured solos from every section of the ensemble: Zade McIntosh on trumpet, Luke Ledwon on vibraphone, Adam Fournier on tenor sax, and Hezekiah Cox on trombone. All played beautifully.

The band went in a special direction for their finale. They played a standard from the gone-too-soon trumpeter and composer Clifford Brown. The piece is called “The Blues Walk.”

Senior John Sebastian put his double bass away and slung his electric bass over his shoulder. He opened the song with a solo that would have made the greats of his instrument proud. Like the prior song, this finale really showed the talent of the group and featured solos from every section: Trumpeter Zade Mcintosh, trombonist Hezekiah Cox, tenor saxophonist Adam Fournier, alto saxophonist Miles De Keyser, vibraphonist Luke Ledwon, and Grady Baumgartner’s thunderous drum solo at the song’s halfway point.

What of Leslie’s secret? The ensemble had two-and-a-half weeks to prepare the six-song, hour-long set. So, if you ever wonder what challenge this group can’t overcome, you’d probably be hard-pressed to find one.

The Dayton Jazz Ensemble’s next concert is scheduled for May 1. The program will include some Stevie
Wonder and Count Basie tunes that fall under the “sacred” ground of jazz, according to Brendan Ash. Leslie’s other group, the University Jazz Band, superb in their own right, will be in concert April 20. Come and support these groups. The beauty of the music they produce and the talent your Flyer peers possess might surprise you.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Patrick Jones is enrolled in Reporting (CMM 338) and the Flyer News Practicum, courses
offered through the Department of Communication (College of Arts and Sciences).