The histories of the wind band and jazz are inextricably linked and the jazz idiom is a natural touchstone for contemporary composers in the concert band medium. This concert features four distinct perspectives on jazz. Wolfgang Gernot’s Three Short Stories combines musical elements from the world of jazz and Latin American music with compositional techniques found in classical and 20th century concert music. James Syler’s Congo Square also links the past and the present, exploring the roots of jazz in New Orleans. Similarly, African and Afro-Cuban elements pervade Michael Colgrass’ Urban Requiem, a tour de force for saxophone quartet and wind ensemble. Finally, Frank Ticheli’s Blue Shades celebrates some of the Big Band Era’s most beloved clichés in all their blues-infused glory.

Three Short Stories (2012) Wolfgang Gernot (b. 1957)
*Nebraska Premiere
Congo Square (2014) James Syler (b. 1961)
*Consortium Premiere
Urban Requiem (1995) Michael Colgrass (b. 1932)
Blue Shades (1997) Frank Ticheli (b. 1958)