Michigan Tech’s jazz program will present Backstage Jazz: Small Groups Jan. 24 to 25 at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, featuring five student-led ensembles performing music that spans classic jazz, funk and modern styles.
The concerts will take place in the Rozsa Center, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. The event is directed by Adam Meckler, Director of Jazz Studies, and Drew Kilpela, Assistant Teaching Professor of Music.
Five bands will perform, including four jazz combos that meet weekly as part of the university’s jazz curriculum and a student-led group called the Sleep Talkers. Among the featured ensembles are JazTec, Michigan Tech’s most advanced jazz small group, Techtonics, E=Jazz², and Momentum, a 10-piece funk band performing music by artists such as Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, and Average White Band.
“This is exciting to hear young musicians stepping up for the first time and doing it,” Meckler said. “Our job as educators is to give students opportunities to learn how to do that and to help them build their confidence surrounding improvisation.”
Unlike large jazz ensembles, small group performances require nearly every student to improvise, placing individual responsibility on each musician. Meckler said this format allows students at different experience levels to express themselves and develop confidence onstage.
“In a small group setting, there’s a lot more individual responsibility,” he said. “Jazz happens in real time once. It’s never the same each night, and that’s one of the beautiful things about this music.”
All ensembles will perform at both concerts, giving audiences the opportunity to hear how improvisation changes the music from night to night. The Sunday matinee is a new addition this year and is intended to provide a more family-friendly option.
Tickets are available through the Rozsa Center’s Pay As You’re Able system, with a full ticket price of $20 and reduced-price options available. Michigan Tech students may attend using Experience Tech benefits. Proceeds from ticket sales support both the Rozsa Center and the jazz program.
For more information or to purchase tickets, go to the MTU website and look under “Events.”
