The Washington State University School of Music will present the school’s first jazz concert of the year on Tuesday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m. in Kimbrough Concert Hall, live and in person. The concert will also be live-streamed on the WSU Pullman Music YouTube channel.
The concert will feature faculty ensemble Jazz Northwest, the award-winning WSU Jazz Big Band and Big Band II under the direction of Regents Professor and Coordinator of Jazz Studies, Greg Yasinitsky. Special guest for the concert will be saxophonist and composer David Larsen.
Larsen, director of bands at Spokane Falls Community College, specializes on baritone saxophone and is a widely published, award-winning composer. His recent compact discs: Deviate from Standards and The Mulligan Chronicles have received critical acclaim and national radio play. As Travis Rogers of The Sentinel & Rural News writes: “Deviate from Standards works on every level from the performances to the compositions…This is an album that immediately makes you hit the replay button. Over and over.”
The concert will open with Jazz Northwest performing “Pinwheel” by Jake Svendsen, pianist with the ensemble. Jazz Northwest also includes Horace Alexander Young and Yasinitsky, saxophones; David Turnbull, trumpet; César Haas, guitar; David Bjur, bass; and Darryl Singleton, percussion.
Big Band II will perform Yasinitsky’s “Sofrito” and “Quality Time” along with Larsen’s “2 by 2.” soloists will include Larsen; Shane Isom, guitar; Meg Fritz, piano; Zander Santa Cruz and Ethan Staingar, saxophones, Zachary Simmons, trombone and Joe-Henry McQuary, drums
The Jazz Big Band will perform Yasinitsky’s “The Big Beat” along with his arrangements of Stevie Wonder’s “Creepin’” and Joe Jackson’s “Private Eye.” Larsen will be featured on his new composition “Illegal Actions.” Soloists will also include Thomas Wieland and Rogan Tinsley, saxophones; Brad Dowson; trombone and Erik Hawkins, drums.
The concert is made possible in part by generous funding from Allegro, the Student Association for Music Advocacy.
The concert will be free of charge and the public is invited. The concert will also be live-streamed on the WSU Pullman Music YouTube channel.
