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Music Lessons
Published November 15, 2009
If the visiting musician at The Clarion looks familiar, it might not be just because of his music.
Jazz pianist Michael Wolff might be most recognizable from co-starring with sons Nat and Alex Wolff in Nickelodeon’s “The Naked Brothers Band.” He also was the bandleader and musical director for “The Arsenio Hall Show.”
This week, Wolff is coming to The Clarion at Brazosport College to lead clinics with five student ensembles, perform with his quintet and serve as guest conductor for the Region 17 Band’s fall concert.
“The whole intent of Jazztravaganza is to hear and celebrate jazz,” said Richard Birk, coordinator of music at Brazosport College. “We bring in some professional jazz musicians and have each school feature the guest musicians as a guest soloist. We do some rehearsals ahead of time. Then we put on an afternoon clinic where the pros will perform and also talk about their life as a musician.”
The pros do a question-and-answer session with the students, and the day finishes with an evening concert.
“Each school group performs a few numbers and we’ll feature the pros as guest soloists with them,” Birk said. “It’s one of my favorite days of the year, always. We have intermediate groups, high school groups, the college group and pros. You get to see the evolution and development of the players. It’s always real inspiring for everybody. ”
Thursday, Wolff and other visiting clinicians will work with students from the Brazosport College Jazz Band, Lake Jackson Intermediate Jazz Band, Freeport Intermediate Jazz Band, Clute Intermediate Jazz Band, Brazosport High School Jazz Band and Brazoswood A.M. and P.M. Jazz Bands.
Friday afternoon, Wolff and saxophone player Kelly Dean of Houston will rehearse with the Region 17 High School Jazz Band, which will perform Saturday night. Friday night, Wolff and his Quintet will give a concert. The Friday night concert is $25 for adults, $20 for college employees and $5 for students and children.
School band directors are excited for their students to get to work with professional musicians.
“It’s awesome that we get to expose our kids to talent like this,” said Jerry Crummel, Brazosport High School band director. “It’s not every day they get to hear professionals like this, up close and personal, and get to ask questions.”
Geoff Atkinson, band director at Clute Intermediate School, said the same.
“It’s always nice to be awed by the musical skills of professionals who have continued to work at their craft for many, many years,” Atkinson said. Clute Intermediate’s jazz band is making its debut this year.
“When there’s that one-on-one attention for our students from professionals, it can only help them get better,” Atkinson said.
“To be able to play with this caliber of musicians is the biggest way for kids to learn,” said Linda Crummel, Freeport Intermediate School band director. “These people have played with some of the great jazz masters. When you look at their bios about who they’ve played with, it’s just amazing. For us to think these people are coming to our community, to perform with our kids — wow, what a deal.”
Band directors said they hope exposing their students to jazz and professional jazz musicians will inspire them to want to stay involved with the music.
“They’re a pretty young group. Some of these kids have only been playing jazz for two or three years,” said Jerry Crummel, Brazosport’s band director. “A lot of them are interested in jazz and improve — maybe not as a professional career, but they are interested in it. I think all my kids are going to enjoy it.”
“One of the things we’re doing is trying to get the kids exposed to jazz at a young age,” said Walter Anderson, jazz band director at Lake Jackson Intermediate School. “I hope they learn to appreciate different styles of music that typically 12-, 13-, 14-year- olds don’t. I want them to develop a love for jazz. It’s one of the very few American art forms that we can call our own.”
Birk says the clinics will be good for everyone.
“So much of jazz can only be learned or experienced firsthand,” Birk said. “You have to have that personal encounter with it, and if you can hear the music from a master, you learn things it’s impossible to absorb from a book or recording, or a video, for that matter. So much of the jazz tradition is handed down from generation to generation. It’s taught and learned by ear.”
JAZZ WEEKEND
Jazz pianist Michael Wolff will be teaching and performing Thursday through Saturday at The Clarion at Brazosport College.
Concerts are:
• Jazztravaganza, 7 p.m. Nov. 19. Free and open to the public. Local intermediate, high school and college jazz bands perform, with Wolff and other clinicians as guest soloists.
• Michael Wolff and his Quintet, 8 p.m. Nov. 20. Tickets are $20 for BC employees and $5 for students and children. To purchase tickets, go to clarion.brazosport.edu or call the Clarion box office, 979-230-3156.
• Region 17 High School Jazz Band, with Michael Wolff as guest conductor, 7 p.m. Nov. 21. Free and open to the public.
To learn more about Michael Wolff, visit www.michaelwolff.com
Mary Openshaw is a features writer for The Facts. Contact her at 979-237-0155.
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