The Cal Poly Humboldt Department of Dance, Music and Theatre presents “Wind Ensemble and Jazz Orchestra”. Join us Saturday, October 18th 7:30pm at the Fulkerson Recital Hall at Cal Poly Humboldt. Tickets are $15 General, $5 for Children and Free for Cal Poly Humboldt students with ID.

Dan Aldag has this to say about the performance, “The big hook for this concert is that both groups are playing a piece by the same composer, Omar Thomas. Thomas is the only published composer I am aware of who writes music for both wind bands and jazz ensembles. The piece of his that the Jazz Orchestra is playing is called I Am and it is the title track from the first album by the Omar Thomas Large Ensemble, released in 2013.” The Wind Ensemble is performing Omar Thomas’ A Mother of a Revolution!—a celebration of the bravery of trans women, and in particular Marsha "Pay It No Mind" Johnson. Marsha is credited with being one of the instigators of the famous Stonewall uprising of June 28, 1969—one of the pivotal events of the LGBTQ liberation movement of the 20th century. This piece was commissioned by the Desert Winds Freedom Band, under the direction of Dean McDowell, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising.

The Jazz Orchestra will also perform Motel, composed and arranged by baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan for the Ray Anthony Orchestra, but never recorded by them. Mulligan did record a revised arrangement of the piece for his own Concert Jazz Band. It features a tenor battle between Mathias Severna and Max Modine and a trumpet solo from Andrew Henderson.

Shimmer—composed by Allison Miller and arranged by Dan Aldag. This was composed by Miller immediately after a dive in the Philippines when she saw sunlight reflect off of a school of fish. Features Max Modine on clarinet, True LaBoissonniere on soprano sax, Hance Tietjens on bari sax and Nate Heron on bass trombone.

Scorpio—composed and arranged by Mary Lou Williams. Williams composed "Scorpio" as part of her 12-movement Zodiac Suite. The arrangement we're playing she wrote for the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Features Max Modine on clarinet and Andrew Hendersin on trumpet.

Palmas—composed and arranged by Eddie Palmieri, one of the most important figures in the history of salsa music and Latin jazz, who passed away in August. Our performance will feature Raymond Endert on trombone, Hayden Hickcox on trumpet, Dylan Westfall on guitar, and Gavin Kingsley on congas.

In addition to A Mother of a Revolution! The Winde Ensemble will perform Mannin Veen: Dear Isle of Man by Haydn Wood. A British composer and violinist, at the age of two Wood and his family moved to the Isle of Man located in the Irish Sea at the geographical center of the British Isles. The island was often a source of inspiration for the composer. This work, based on Manx folksongs, is founded on four of those tunes. The first, The Good Old Way, is an old and typical air written mostly in the Dorian mode. The second, which introduces the lively section of the work, is a reel – The Manx Fiddler. The third tune, Sweet Water in the Common relates to the practice of summoning a jury to decide questions concerning water rights, boundaries, etc. The fourth and last is a fine old hymn, The Harvest of the Sea, sung by the fishermen as a song of thanksgiving after their safe return from the fishing grounds.

They Hung Their Harps in the Willows by W. Francis McBeth was commissioned by and dedicated to the Plano East Senior High Band of Plano, Texas. It was premiered on February 16, 1989, at Plano East High School with the composer conducting. The work was written in memory of Claude T Smith and the title is taken from Psalm 137. "By the rivers of Babylon, there they sat down and wept. Upon the willows in the midst of it, we hung our harps." This Biblical reference is to the Babylonian captivity.

Chorale and Shaker Dance, written in 1972 by John P. Zdechlik, combines an original chorale tune and the traditional Shaker song The Gift to Be Simple. The work Zdechlik transforms, varies, and juxtaposes both themes throughout the entire composition, incorporating intricate counterpoint and jazz-influenced syncopated rhythms. The Shaker melody does not appear in its entirety until near the end of the piece, when the trumpet section plays the tune over a flurry of activity in the upper woodwinds and a sonorous low-brass accompaniment.

We hope to see you there.A limited number of tickets will be available for purchase at the door, one hour prior to the performance.