158WINTER ORGANIZATIONS THE HARDING UNIVERSITY JAZZ BAND upheld a standard of excellence since its inception in the early 1960s, providing a space for live music on campus. The ensemble played for Java and Jazz, a collaboration between Arts and Life and Beats and Eats. “The collaboration was twofold,” Director of Alumni and Parent Relations Heather Kemper said. “The Arts and Life series brings these world-renowned musical artists to campus, and Beats and Eats tries to merge the Searcy community and Harding community together in unity and growth by showcasing artists and entrepreneurs.” Not only did the ensemble plug into the greater Searcy community, but they also had the opportunity to play alongside the featured professional jazz pianist Dan Tepfer. When it was announced that Tepfer would join the band in performance, there was a buzz of excitement among the musicians. “I’m nervous because there’s that pressure to impress when playing with a big-league musician, but mostly I’m just excited,” senior drummer Cameron Maupin said. “I always love the opportunity to play with exceptional professional musicians, especially in the genre of jazz when the best thing to do to get better is to play with as many different people as possible.” The songs performed by Tepfer and the band consisted of several classic jazz standards, which showcased the ensemble’s feel and the soloist’s virtuosic talent. “We’re playing some Count Basie tunes, the Duke Ellington classic ‘Take the A-Train,’ a slow Tony Bennett tune called ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco’ and a lot of other big band stuff that will showcase the piano player nicely,” Maupin said. In addition to the song selection, several older members were excited for the change of venue and pleased with the turnout of the performance. “I think we see a lot of the marching band and vocal groups, but we don’t see as much of the jazz band,” Maupin said. “I like to think we live up to a high standard of musicianship, so having us play with a professional musician helped to showcase the ensemble’s hard work even more.” Because of a previous wane in membership, the 2021-22 Jazz Band was a younger group, with only two players who had been a part of the ensemble for four years. The group struggled to find their groove at first, but once they began to lock in, playing with a professional musician seemed less daunting and more exciting. “We had to start with a lot of fundamentals with basic feel and jazz concept, which took a while,” Director of Jazz Band Andrew Cook said. “In those couple of weeks before the performance though, we had a couple of moments where it really clicked, and when it did, it became obvious to everyone what a jazz ensemble was supposed to sound like.” The Harding Jazz Band in the fall of 2021 was young and talented, and their due diligence to their art was what set them apart. “The night before our performance, several of our members had a long rehearsal for the Homecoming musical, and the day of the performance they went straight from playing a marching band performance to playing our gig,” Cook said. “We have some dedicated musicians. I don’t know how they get that kind of stamina, but their determination is wonderful to work with.” WRITTEN BY ZACH BISHOP Ya Like Jazz? The Harding University Jazz Band takes the stage alongside a professional jazz musician. DEEP IN THE GROOVE Senior drummer Cameron Maupin drives the band forward in tempo with his fellow rhythm section members in October 2021. The rhythm section included drums, guitar, bass and piano. Photo by: Jaxon Nash
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