Jazz crossover: Southeast Missouri State University bands expand their jazz sounds

For the third and final concert in the Jazz Series, jazz bands at Southeast Missouri State University aim to break the stereotype of jazz.

Classic big band jazz is classic for a reason, but Dr. Robert Conger said the department wanted to show the audience more. The concert at 7:30 p.m. today in the Bedell Performance Hall will feature crossover music in a performance titled "From Fusion to Latin."

The Studio Jazz Ensemble and the Jazz Lab Band will perform salsas, sambas and rumbas, with the underlying theme and sounds of jazz.

"A lot of the music you hear today is crossover," Conger said.

Rock bleeds into country. Pop borrows from hip-hop. The lines between genres blur, and music becomes more universal. Conger said the crossover affect in this concert can be heard everywhere -- in the different instruments, style and form.

"We're showing how jazz is related to these other forms," Conger said.

One song, "Latin Import" was written by New York jazz trombonist John Fedchock.

"It definitely has a jazz swing to it," Conger said.

They will play a hip-hop piece by Bret Spainhour called "Point Taken."

"It's a different piece, too," Conger said. "Very hip-hoppy, which you don't really think of a big band playing."

The jazz bands have always held three concerts, but packaging them as a series gives them better name recognition and allows them to "grab a bigger market share in terms of audience," Conger said. The Jazz Series has tried to emulate the Symphony Series, which has built a following.

The department has also started a support group called Jazz Friends. Money donated from the group will help buy music, pay for competitions, tours and trips like when the Studio Jazz Ensemble played the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival in Edinburgh, Scottland, in July.

The Jazz Ensemble has 20 students who must audition to earn a spot in the band. The Jazz Lab Band also has 20 students, but any interested student can play in the ensemble as long as the instrumentation works.

Both bands have performed at the Jazz Series. Conger said concerts are instrumental in a musician's development.

"Playing for a room with four walls isn't quite the same as playing for [300] to 400 people," he said.

Conger said in past years concerts have drawn around 125 people. The concert in February brought 285 audience members to the Bedell, which can seat more than 900.

"We're looking to fill that auditorium up," Conger said.

Besides, he said, "It's a cheap date."

Tickets are $10 for all seats and available at the River Campus Box Office, by calling 651-2265 or 800-293-5949 and at metrotix.com