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■I • i
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Musicians jam, improv
during big band night
By Jason Hardy
Staff writer
i For the past 15 years, Monday nights have been very
V special for a lot of Lincoln musicians.
J Monday Night Big Band has become a tradition in
- Lincoln as well as other cities around the country. Tonight,
the tradition continues in the form of Monday Night Jazz at
P.O. Pears, 322 S. Ninth St.
It’s an event that has helped many musicians and
spectators gain first-hand experience about jazz and
big band music.
“We use it as a tool to hone our skills, and obvious
ly we use some of the proceeds to buy new music so we get an
opportunity to explore music from new composers,” said
Dutch Ode, a member of the office at Arts Incorporated, the
group that helps organize Monday Night Big Band.
Ode said the dynamic of the performances is very free
spirited because the members of the group vary every
Monday night and often include people in the audience.
Not only that, the music is all sight read, and the players
are given a lot of freedom to experiment.
“It keeps it fresh,” he said. “It allows some of us to
direct on a regular basis. It allows us to play extended solos
that we wouldn’t be allowed to play in other public settings
with musical constraints.”
ne saia me Dana memDers are oi an ages -
both high school students and retired professionals
are common - and the directors
change week to
week.
“It’s really a bridge
between the amateur
and professional ranks,”
he said. “There are a num
ber of young jazz players
that have got an awful lot of jazz
experience with us and have moved up to doing professional perfor
mances and have gone on to college for music.”
Dean Haist, the director for tonight’s performance, said the spon
taneous nature of Monday Night Jazz not only made for an educa
tional performance but a challenging one as well.
“It’s also been an opportunity for older musicians who play a lot
ofessionally to play big band music and have some fun with it,” Haist
does present a challenge though, depending on who’s available (to
ij, because some-music is easier to play than others.
“When we get together and sight read the music, some have seen it and
w,en’t, but that’s what makes it fun and a challenge.”
said each director decides what music to play, so there is never a set
“Sometimes you hear some artistic and adventurous pieces, but then we
might follow it up with a standard from the big band repertoire,” he said. “So it
really varies back and forth between new and old.”
naisi saia me wiae vaneiy oi musical siyies in
Monday Night Jazz keeps each performance fresh,
which in turn has kept audiences coming back for more.
“They get a chance to hear a lot of different individuals do
solos,” lie said. “I notice that, depending on who’s playing, different people
will come out. Especially if there’s a high school student playing, a lot of
their friends will come down, too.”
Ode, who usually plays twice a month, said the group had performances
scheduled at P.O. Pears every Monday night through the end of February, but
promised the music wouldn’t stop there.
“This is expected to go on almost indefinitely,” he said.
Monday Night
Big Band
WHERE: P.O. Pears,
322 S. Ninth St.
WHEN: every Monday
I * | . night through February
v COST: $4 for adults,
$3 for students
Wh THE SKINNY: Improvjazz
and big band make for new
win music experience.
