Sangama Pie performs concert at St. Olaf College

Sangama Pie, a jazz combo comprised of students from the class of 2012 at St. Olaf College, performed a concert in the Lion's Pause Tuesday, December 14. Members of the band include Francis Maginn on trombone, Chris Bouxsein on tenor saxophone, Henry Lewers on piano, Andy Nail on bass, Alex Van Rysselberghe on drums, and Akshar Rambachan on vocal percussion and Indian tabla. Noah Mitchell was also a featured percussionist for the concert. The band fuses jazz, rock, latin, funk, and Indian styles to create a fresh, original sound.

Jazz I performs Fall Concert at St. Olaf College

On Friday, November 19, Jazz I, St. Olaf College's top jazz ensemble directed by Dave Hagedorn, performed their Fall Concert in the Lion's Pause. Works by Rayburn Wright, Kenny Wheeler, Clare Fischer, Bob Washut, Darcy James Argue, and Chick Corea, among others, were included on the program. Video of the entire concert can be seen by clicking here.

Sarah Kogler performs Senior Recital at St. Olaf College

On Sunday, November 14, Sarah Kogler performed her senior recital in Urness Recital Hall at St. Olaf College. The program included works by Bach, Bozza, Gieseking, and Torres. I accompanied her on a jazz samba version of "Over The Rainbow" arranged by Nestor Torres.

Migrations Concert at St. Olaf

On February 26, a group of St. Olaf student pianists presented a concert titled Musical Migrations, with each piece in the program expressing some kind of migratory character. I performed Jan Garbarek's "Blue Sky", a recording of which can be heard by clicking the title. My program notes for the piece are below.

Professor Zempel’s Convocation address to open this school year was titled, “We Are Migrants, All.” While she focused primarily on human immigration, the definition of “all” could certainly be expanded to include animals, most notably birds, as well. When I think of migration, one image that frequently comes to mind is that of birds soaring south for the winter, silhouetted against a wide open sky. Like the sky itself, Garbarek’s piece has an expansive and timeless quality to it, and I hope to convey that in tonight’s performance.

Sangama Pie performs concert at St. Olaf College

Sangama Pie, a jazz combo comprised of students from the class of 2012 at St. Olaf College, performed a concert in the Lion's Pause Wednesday, February 11th. On January 28, Sangama Pie, along with five other bands, participated in and Music and Entertainment Committee's "Music Mayhem" competition. Each band performed a song, with the prize being a concert in the Pause. Members of the band include Francis Maginn on trombone, Chris Bouxsein on tenor saxophone, Henry Lewers on piano, Andy Nail on bass, Alex Van Rysselberghe on drums, and Akshar Rambachan on vocal percussion and Indian tabla. The set included standards, such as "So What" and "Canteloupe Island," as well as originals.

Below is a video of an original tune "Squirrel," performed at the M.E.C competition: