Jazz Man: Dr. Bob Conger has increased the number of public performances

If his office decor is any indication, students must love Dr. Bob Conger.

Scattered among what some would term a mess of recording gear (including an ancient Magnavox reel-to-reel recorder), brass mouthpieces, binders full of music literature and books on music theory are mementos from his previous schools: a plaque naming him teacher of the year at a former middle school and a framed piece of embroidery anointing Conger "world's best band director." Among the memorabilia are items that give visitors to Conger's office a hint of his personality -- a photo autographed by Southeast Missouri State University mascot Rowdy, a black and white poster of Elvis, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis in Sun Studios, pictures of Conger and music department chairman Dr. Chris Goeke goofing around at the new River Campus.

The atmosphere is relaxing and inviting, like Conger himself. One aspect of Conger's personality seems to stand out more than any other -- he's clearly having fun.

"Isn't it lucky to have a job where you just make music all day?" Conger says, a big grin on his face.

Since 2004, Conger has been the director of the music department's jazz program at Southeast. In that time he's shown a commitment to making the program as visible as possible by increasing the amount of public performances for the elite Studio Jazz band, the Jazz Lab band and smaller student and faculty jazz ensembles. They play regular gigs -- yes, Conger's word for them -- at downtown night spot Buckner Brewing Co. Studio Jazz played at the City of Roses Music Festival -- one of the highlights on the CVB stage -- for the second straight year this year. Tonight Studio Jazz and Jazz Lab will provide the tunes for the program's first annual Big Band Dance.

In Conger's jazz philosophy, few things are more important than performing for the public.

"When we do play in public, they learn a whole lot about preparation, about how much maybe they should have prepared that they didn't, or how much we worked on a lick over and over and over again, and that made it work in the public performance, even though they were sick of it in rehearsal," Conger said.

He knows students can often tire of public performances loaded on top of their already-busy schedule. But the performances are necessary for improvement and to raise money for the program.

"What I'm trying to do is bring in guests artists for our on-campus concerts, for the students to hear," Conger said. "But to do that we need to raise funds. Buckner's gets us some money, playing this big band dance will get us some bread, so we can pay these guys to guest solo at our concerts and so kids can see what a real jazz musician plays like, hear it, emulate it, and that whole mentoring process will make the group better."

Conger calls his current group of players the best he's had yet. A few minutes after saying that, he'll direct those students through a rehearsal for the upcoming dance. The students are all seated in the rehearsal hall, ready to go when Conger arrives. He dives right in with the kind of enthusiasm one isn't used to seeing in the classroom setting. He picks up a microphone and sings the words to "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing." Singing is obviously not Conger's musical strength, but he doesn't care. He sings, he even dances a little. He hopes his enthusiasm is contagious.

"If it's a drag for you, it's a drag for them, too," Conger said just a few minutes earlier. "In fact, it's 10 times the drag for them."

Conger's boss, Goeke, says Conger does have fun with his duties, but the jazz instructor also is as serious a musician as you can find. Not only does he play jazz and do it well, Conger also is accomplished with his trombone in the classical realm, Goeke said.

"He does both equally well," Goeke said.

Before Conger came to Southeast, Barry Bernhardt directed the jazz program along with all other university bands in his capacity as director of university bands. With all his duties Bernhardt couldn't focus as much on just one band. Conger was brought in and took over the jazz groups, providing extra time and resources to improve the jazz program, Goeke said.

"Bob has really taken this and he's had the time and the ability and the connections to really build it up," Goeke said.

His demeanor also has added to the department. Like a typical jazz man, Conger stays easy going most of the time.

"He pushes the kids to play well ... but he always has this laid-back attitude," Goeke said. "If you know many jazzers, it's this typical jazzer outlook, everything's going to be cool, everything's going to be okay."

Conger is working hard to make more jazzers. He's even started an extra-curricular course on improv for interested jazz players and starting sending them out in small combos to play private shows.

"They get good bread for that," Conger says, reverting again to his jazzer lingo.

His hope is that as these young jazzers learn, they'll avoid his own mistakes.

"I want to put them in the public eye and see if they can play better than they did in rehearsal. Most of the time, your public performance is worse than best rehearsal. But if we can get that level to raise as we play in public, then you've got something there.

"It took me, myself a long time to learn that lesson."

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182

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Want to go?

• What: Big Band Dance
• When: 7 p.m. tonight (Nov. 17)
• Where: UC Ballroom
• Info: 651-2265