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“‘Swing’ is an adjective or a verb , not a noun. All jazz musicians should swing. There is no such thing as a ’swing band’ in music.” - Artie Shaw

Friday, 09 January 2009

Dakota Combo With Bobby Watson, December 1st

Written by Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor

Tuesday, 21 November 2006

Jack Davis © Andrea Canter

This fall, the Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education has teamed with the MacPhail Center for Music to support the first (annual) Dakota Combo – an elite ensemble of area youth jazz artists. Following auditions in September, the seven selected young musicians began a rigorous series of rehearsals under the direction of trumpeter/MacPhail instructor Kelly Rossum. Their efforts will culminate in a one-night, two-set performance at the Dakota Jazz Club in downtown Minneapolis on December 1 (8 pm). Special guest artist for the evening will be master alto saxophonist Bobby Watson. Taking youth jazz into the community, Watson and the Combo will also host a clinic on the Dakota stage on Saturday morning, December 2 (11 am). The clinic is free and open to the public.

Rhythm Section © Andrea Canter

Javier Santiago © Andrea Canter

The idea for the Dakota Combo grew out of recent residencies of young jazz artists hosted by the Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education. In 2005, a sextet of young college musicians from the Brubeck Institute visited area high schools and performed at the Dakota; in spring 2006, the Thelonious Monk Institute for Jazz initiated its Peer to Peer Jazz Education program in Minneapolis, bringing a sextet from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) to area high schools and also to perform at the Dakota. Bobby Watson and vocalist Lisa Henry, both based in Kansas City, were guest artists during that residency. Both the Brubeck and Monk programs were led by J.B. Dyas, currently Vice President for Education at the Monk Institute. Based on the success of these two programs, the Dakota Foundation and MacPhail joined forces to create a similar “all-star” jazz ensemble that would draw on the talents of local youth, initially for performance but eventually to provide outreach programs in the greater metro area.

Amber Woodhouse © Andrea Canter

A number of organizations have lent their support to the Dakota Combo, including Jazzink, IAJE – Minnesota, the Jazz Police and the Twin Cities Jazz Society, in addition to primary sponsors, the Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education and MacPhail Center for Music. The Foundation has provided each student musician’s tuition for MacPhail instruction.

The Combo

Student musicians enrolled in grades 9-12 were eligible to audition before a panel of area musicians/educators in mid-September. Many of the students who participated in the Dakota Combo auditions played in the open student jam at the Dakota last March with Bobby Watson and the LACHSA Sextet. The 2006 Dakota Combo is a three-horn septet representing programs from Twin Cities’ high schools:

Owen Nelson, Alto Saxophone, Edina High School
Amber Woodhouse, Tenor Saxophone, St. Paul Central High School
Ben Link, Trombone, St. Paul Central High School
Jack Davis, Guitar, Minneapolis South High School
Javier Santiago, Piano, Watershed High School (Minneapolis)
Daniel Duke, Bass, St. Paul Central High School
Nathan Whitley, Drums, St. Paul Central High School

Ben Link © Andrea Canter

The Combo musicians have been busy rehearsing in the MacPhail practice space with Kelly Rossum; they’ll meet Bobby Watson and hold additional rehearsals before their club performance on December 1^st. An unexpected addition has been the KARE-11 film crew, which has taped rehearsal and will be on hand to film the performance for an upcoming story about the Combo.

Owen Nelson © Andrea Canter

Bobby Watson © Andrea Canter

Bobby Watson

Born in Lawrence, KS and raised in Kansas City, Bobby Watson played clarinet in church before switching to alto sax at age 13. He began arranging and composing for school bands in high school, then went on to study jazz at the University of Miami. Moving to New York, he served as music director for Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers (1977-81). In addition to collaborations with numerous instrumentalists and vocalists, Watson gained acclaim as co-founder of the acoustic ensemble, Horizon, one of the leading jazz bands of the 80s and 90s; this band has recently reformed as Horizon Reassembled. Watson also led the big bands, High Court of Swing and Tailor Made Big Band; and is a founding member of the 29^th Street Saxophone Quartet. His recording credits as leader and sideman are legion. Bobby currently serves as Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and works with the Monk Institute’s Jazz in America outreach program.

Kelly Rossum

One of the most creative and eclectic musicians in the upper Midwest and leader of jazz programs at MacPhail, trumpeter Kelly Rossum cites as his primary influences Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, and J.S. Bach! Rossum plays with the avant-garde Electropolis, the new Out to Lunch Quintet, many local jazz, swing, and classical ensembles, and holds advanced degrees in Baroque trumpet. He has released three acclaimed recordings with his jazz quartet and quintet, including his latest release, Line. (Click here for a review.) Rossum noted that he was pleased with the number of students participating in the Combo auditions and was impressed with the quality of their efforts, which included at least one selection from a list of jazz standards to be played with the ensemble of judges. “The auditions were extremely competitive and the decisions were carefully thought through,” said Rossum. “I applaud everyone for achieving such a high level of jazz comprehension.”

Rossum is strongly committed to promoting jazz to new audiences: “Beyond simple exposure—the need to get this music in front of students in the schools and in their homes—it comes down to performing/ demonstrating pure musical expression. If musicians (jazz and otherwise) play from their hearts, there is no need to ‘sell’ the style to students and audiences. If the sounds that these people hear resonate within their psyche, they will be compelled to pursue those sounds... Real music connects with people; false music does not.”

Public Performance and Clinic!

What’s the sound of seven young musicians on stage at a big-time jazz venue? Nothing short of inspiring! Come hear the first-ever Dakota Combo with one of the best-ever alto sax players around when Bobby Watson takes the stage with seven of our area’s best reasons to applaud the future of jazz—sets start at 8 pm on Friday, December 1. And if you are an aspiring jazz musician or just want to observe a master teacher at work, come back to the Dakota on Saturday at 11 am for the Dakota Combo Clinic!

The Dakota is located at 1010 Nicollet Mall, downtown Minneapolis. Reservations in the club at 612-332-1010; www.dakotacooks.com. Full information about the Dakota Combo is available at www.dakotacombo.com. Note that the Saturday clinic is free and open to the public, but the Dakota kitchen will not be open.

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