Educator and performer Jeff Holmes will bring his jazz quartet to The University of Alabama Tuesday. He will participate in both leading a master class and performing two nights, one of which will feature the Alabama Jazz Ensemble.
The master class and first performance will be on Monday. The performance in collaboration with the Alabama Jazz Ensemble will be Tuesday.
The professional quartet is currently touring after the release of its album “One’s Own.” UA Jazz Studies Director Christopher Kozak, Holmes’s former student, asked Holmes to share his music with his students.
“I believe that the only way students can truly be inspired to further create their art is to be inspired by a live tradition,” Kozak said.
Benjamin Carrasquillo, a trombone player and junior majoring in jazz studies, said he uses these opportunities to hear professionals perform to get ideas for his solos. He said these guest performances give him and his fellow students a perspective on the level of musicianship to aim for.
“As a jazz musician, I am constantly listening and constantly trying to absorb professional recordings to get ideas for my solos, things that I can practice to make myself a better player and expand my vocabulary,” Carrasquillo said. “Something happens whenever you hear somebody who is very good at what they do; you try to emulate them on the spot, and something just kind of clicks there to where it boosts your performance to another level.”
This spontaneous expression is a key element to jazz. Holmes said although jazz is now written down for big band arrangements, the essence of jazz is in the impromptu personal expression.
“The human element of chance in a live performance is a wonderful thing, because you never know what can happen; it’s very inspiring,” Holmes said.
Holmes and Carrasquillo said both collaboration and communication among musicians are important because there is an in-the-moment conversation that occurs on stage as the performers interact with verbal cues that determine the performance.
“I expect nothing short of stellar musicianship, beautiful technical proficiency and wonderful emotion brought to the stage by musicians that care deeply about what they play,” Kozak said.
