Come to the MAHS jazz concert Monday!

The concert time may be hard to read. It's 7 p.m.

 

"Jazz." What does the term suggest to you? Maybe not the loftiest impression, eh? Well of course jazz is an American art form to be respected in the most robust way. Maybe it is misunderstood a little. The best literal understanding of jazz is with the term "improvisation." The performer follows the chords and makes up his own pattern of notes. It is pure creativity. 

But if you attend a pure jazz concert like what is coming up at our Morris Area High School, the appeal stretches beyond that. Jazz tunes have a popular and entertaining feel to them. Often the bands do covers of popular tunes. You think that's lowbrow? Well a pox on you. You think it's easy to try to write "popular" music? It of course is incredibly difficult. 

As a truism here, let me offer that hard work is required to accomplish anything. The MAHS kids work hard to prepare all their tunes. Please consider coming to the MAHS concert hall Monday evening. 

Some people say these days that the concert on YouTube is an acceptable alternative to being there. We could not have conceived of any such thing when I was a kid. It would have seemed right out of the "Jetsons." It's par for the course today in our world where people walk around looking down at their "phones." All the customers waiting for their order at Caribou: looking down at their phones. The American way? But pay attention if you're a pedestrian. 

Also, the auditorium stage at the old school would be dangerous today - it was actually dangerous then - because of the drop-off at the edge. Today I think an obstacle would have to be placed at the edge. People looking down at their phones! It's funny until something bad happens. 

But what about "supporting our school" by just watching the concerts on YouTube? I suppose you can save a couple bucks. Are you really supporting the school? I'd suggest no. I can back that up. The holiday band concert in December concluded with an unforgettable mass performance - all kids involved. This was the most impressive performance of a Christmas medley of tunes I have ever heard, or will ever hear. No exaggeration. 

There were two female vocalists out front. Aren't female voices always better? Where would "Spanky and Our Gang" have been without the girl? The medley on the concert hall stage guaranteed full Christmas spirit that would last all the way through the holiday season. 

The one problem that I heard about later is that the YouTube video of this did not capture it well. There were actual problems. Made me so sad to hear about. I guarantee you that when our director hears about an issue like this, she will try to make sure it won't happen again! She is a very committed person, has a drive to do things "her way" and there is much to be said for that (most of the time). 

The director is Wanda Dagen. Her assistant is Andrea DeNardo who I see most mornings at Caribou Coffee. She comes in "right on cue" at 7:15 a.m. It happened this morning (Thursday). It's always nice to see more than one employee at the Caribou kiosk. I think demand is increasing. I get a very fine breakfast there and then get seated at the "cafe" area. 

I look back on jazz education in America and I realize that there were once pretty big impediments to this, cultural impediments. The prevailing European culture thought jazz was, well, lacking in class? Lowbrow? Too much African-American influence? Whatever, my late father who established the UMM music program had the credentials to direct jazz. He did not. The world was not ready for it. Academia was not ready for it. Rural Minnesota most likely had an aversion to it. 

My father directed every conceivable type of musical group excluding jazz. He had to: he was the only UMM music faculty in the institution's first year. 

At present unfortunately, I think the future of UMM music may be shaky. I did not think it would come to this. I wrote at the time of establishing our family's fund to benefit UMM that music was something our local campus would have to have. This would be regardless (not "irregardless") of our campus' mission. But now I'm not so sure. I think UMM is headed for significant further retrenchment, contrary to what the administration would most certainly say. 

All I care about is for the campus to stay in existence. Community college? If that's the best option, go for it. Maybe the "albatross" HFA building will simply be closed at some point. What a big abortion of a building. Emphasis on the main hallway as if it's some sort of New Mexico cavern. Boggles the mind. The building was designed when "avant garde" design ideas were all the rage. Consider too the quirky UMM science auditorium. 

Well, fashions in America can be strange, n'est-ce pas? We're seeing the continuing fashion of MAGA in politics, defying all reason and logic. We are so human an animal. 

Whatever, please come to the MAHS jazz concert on Monday evening! The concert hall is boffo! UMM has nothing like that. We ought to be incredulous.

The image below is "blast from the past." Colorful U of M history. See caption below the image.

The little arrow in the photo points to Ralph E. Williams, member of a band that we can presume was "hot." This was in the 1930s when "big bands" stepped into their heyday. Ralph was my father. He has left us for that ballroom in the sky. The University of Minnesota was integral to his life. He formed our U of M-Morris music department in 1960-61 and was the department's sole faculty member in the first year. What heady times.

  

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com