Spring Jazz Ensemble Concert At Simon's Rock | 04:00PM / Wednesday, May 08, 2024 | |
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.— The annual Bard College at Simon's Rock Jazz Ensemble Spring Concert begins Friday, May 10 at 8:00 p.m.
Conducted by Professor of Music, Electronic Arts, and Cultural Studies John Myers, the concert will include new arrangements of pieces by artists such as Thelonius Monk, Johnny Mandel, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and others, as well as the debut of John Myers' original composition "Lifeline."
Along with student players, the concert will also include faculty guest artists Allan Dean on trumpet, Pete Toigo on bass, and the voice of emeritus faculty guest artist Bill Dunbar.
"My students are multi-talented, not just in music, but in other disciplines as well, including physics, linguistics, and mathematics. Our drummer, Yonah Sadeh, is already an award-winning filmmaker, and both of our guitarists are performing composers with online followers," said Myers.
Among those student performers are David Bronshvayg on violin, Damien Brown on trumpet, Tzedek Fishman on piano/keyboard, Megan Hackett on guitar and providing vocals, Zoia Levit on accordion, Paul Rose on piano, keyboard, and vocals, Maayan Rosenberg on clarinet, Yonah Sadeh on drums, Bohdan Lastochkin on guitar, and Ace Thompson on bass.
"One of the many special features of the Simon's Rock Jazz Ensemble is that I create my own original arrangements of all the music, shaped by the abilities and personalities of the players. Another feature is our unusual instrumentation, which this semester includes accordion and violin as well as the more traditional jazz instruments," said Myers.
On performing Myers' personal composition at the upcoming concert, he also said, "My composition "Lifeline" uses three levels of 7: 7/8, 7/4, and 7/2. The students enjoy the challenge of playing in these kinds of meters, and I supply one of my own pieces every semester."
Myers' ensemble of musicians includes a medley of talent, creating an inclusive group of players with varying levels of skill in their preferred instrument.
"In my arrangements, I include players with more basic skills along with advanced and even professional-level players, without excluding anyone. This creates an exciting and supportive learning environment. I've described my approach in this online article: Layers of Inclusion: Arranging Music for Multi-Leveled Ensembles."
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