A jazz concert, like a traditional wedding, usually has four components: something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.
Although the program is still being planned, the jazz faculty recital from the School of Music, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, in Meany Hall, will probably meet all these requirements.
Tickets are $12 general admission, $10 for students or seniors. More information is available at 206-543-4880.
The title of the evening鈥檚 festivities is, 鈥淛azz: Past, Present and Future,鈥� giving the musicians wide latitude within which to work.
鈥淚鈥檓 not sure yet what we鈥檒l be playing,鈥� says Vern Sielert, assistant professor and trumpeter. 鈥淲e know that we鈥檒l have a range of music, from older compositions and contemporary music.鈥�
For the old and the borrowed, an example: Says Sielert, 鈥淟isteners might hear a Scott Joplin rag, played in traditional form and then going through its transformations, bringing us up to date.鈥�
Sielert and Mark Seales, associate professor, are the chief planners. They have already tapped Don Immel on trombone, Tom Collier on vibes and marimba, Mark Ivester on drums and Doug Miller on bass to join them, with perhaps others to come.
The new: Sielert promises the performance will include at least one of his new tunes, 鈥淢etronga鈥檚 Tonk,鈥� inspired by a club in New Orleans at which Louis Armstrong played early in his career. The piece, Sielert says, has 鈥渁 new Orleans feel but with more modern harmonies.鈥�
Sielert and Seales are both frequent performers on the local jazz scene. Sielert plays with the Jim Knapp Orchestra and the Emerald City Jazz Orchestra, among other groups. Seales appears frequently around the region with his trio, 鈥淣ew Stories.鈥�
The concert will be preceded by remarks from Larry Starr, professor of music history.
鈥淛azz is uniquely American,鈥� Starr says, 鈥渃oming from the collision of African and European elements. They were brought together under intense and conflicting conditions, and that conflict was the crucible for the development of the music.鈥�
Although he is reluctant to say art flows from suffering (鈥渋t鈥檚 not necessarily true鈥�), Starr says the fact that artists were frequently frustrated in their ability to express themselves surely influenced the development of jazz.
鈥淵ou could only play certain kinds of music in certain places,鈥� he says, which placed the African-derived elements in 鈥渃ontentious dialogue鈥� with European elements.
Jazz, Starr points out, has a compressed history, occupying roughly 100 years, in contrast to European classical music, which has developed and changed over many centuries. But it has reached the same point as classical music today 鈥� fragmented into different styles which are listened to by different audiences, a phenomenon accentuated by the availability of music on the Internet.
As with the musical performance itself, Starr expects to improvise much of his talk.
鈥淭his performance should be fun,鈥� Sielert says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always great to be in Meany with a group of talented players.鈥�
And the blue? As one local jazz icon has opined, 鈥淣o jazz concert is complete until you play the blues.鈥�
Count on it.