Jazz performance is a success

By Jessica LaCanne
Arts and Entertainment Editor

The Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combo I performance in the Page Theatre on April 15 featured a guest soloist and was a success, according to one of the directors.

Eric Heukeshoven, music instructor at Saint Mary’s University, said he co-directed with Dr. John Paulson, who normally directs the performance.

“Jazz is a very collaborative endeavor,” said Heukeshoven. The students were very flexible and willing to make it work.

With the collaborative work of Heukeshoven, Paulson, Dean Sorensen (the trombone soloist) and the students, everything came together and worked out. According to Heukeshoven, Sorensen is the head of jazz studies at the University of Minnesota. Having Sorensen there really made the students rise to the occasion, said Heukeshoven.

“Students go away with a sense of pride and accomplishment” after performing so well, said Heukeshoven, which makes the professors happy. Heukeshoven said “it was a really nice crowd,” especially for a Friday night and with it competing with all other events.

Each semester there is a jazz performance, including a performance by the Jazz Ensemble during family weekend. There will still be another performance this semester on May 8, from 2-4 p.m. at Acoustic Café. Heukeshoven said this performance is “a lot of fun because it is a very relaxed Sunday afternoon.”

Can’t make it to a performance? The SMU Jazz Ensemble released a CD last year, called “Staycation,” that is still available for purchase. Contact either Dr. John Paulson or Eric Heukeshoven for more information.