May 1, 2009
(JACKSON, Miss.) - Jackson State University's top jazz ensemble capped a successful academic year with two national awards and recorded a new CD - all in two months.
In March, the group was named the Outstanding Jazz Ensemble at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame Jazz Festival in Birmingham. Two weeks later at the North Texas Jazz Festival, the ensemble received the Dr. M.E. "Gene" Hall Award after being selected the "Most Outstanding University Jazz Ensemble."
"This has really been a great year for us," said Russell Thomas, director of jazz studies at Jackson State University. "Our students are very talented and work very hard. It is rewarding to see them recognized this way." Not just any musician can become a part of the 19-member ensemble, Thomas said.
"That's the top jazz ensemble class," he said. "They have to audition or be selected to enroll in this class."
Not easily impressed, Thomas has a national and international career that includes performances with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Nnenna Freelon, and the Lionel Hampton Big Band. Junior jazz performance major Steven Maben earned a spot in that top ensemble three years ago when he auditioned for Thomas at Overton High School in Memphis.
Going into the festivals, however, Maben said he felt that Jackson State was the underdog. "Everyone was kind of unsure about who we were and how wed play," Maben said "After we played, we got a standing ovation. It was crazy, exciting."
Maben, a drummer, was among three ensemble members to receive solo honors for their performances. Saxophonists Courtland Saxon and Andrew Lewis took home honors for both solo performances and their original compositions.
Saxon's "Cleopatra's Needle," inspired by a jam session at a New York City club, received high praise from judges.
"I'm very appreciative of the opportunities I've had since I've been at Jackson State," said Saxon, who will finish his studies in December. "Not many people have been able to travel as much as I have."
In addition to recent travels, Saxon has performed in Japan, Canada and even in Washington, D.C., for President Barack Obama's inauguration. Still on a high from their awards, the ensemble returned to Jackson to record an album.
Featuring three new jazz compositions from Thomas, the album also will include pieces by Duke Ellington and Frank Foster. The ensemble's first project in seven years, the CD will be released in the spring.
"It is good to document the ensembles," Thomas added. "The CDs serve as educational tools for our students. We also use CDs for student recruitment and as a public relations tool for the university. But of course at its core, this is just good jazz." - JSU - About Jackson State University: Challenging Minds, Changing Lives Jackson State University, founded in 1877, is a historically black, high research activity university located in Jackson, the capital city of the state of Mississippi. Jackson State's nurturing academic environment challenges individuals to change lives through teaching, research and service. Officially designated as Mississippi's Urban University, Jackson State continues to enhance the state, nation and world through comprehensive economic development, health-care, technological and educational initiatives. The only university in the Jackson metropolitan area, Jackson State is located near downtown, with three satellite campuses throughout the city. For more information, visit www.jsums.edu.
