Kaiden Pope
Reporter
Parkland’s Jazz Combo band performed at the Second Stage theater at Parkland on Monday April 30, 7–9 p.m.
Performers included Parkland students Justin Dyer on trumpet and flugelhorn, Heidi Bletzinger on trumpet, Dillon Honn on alto saxophone and flute, Natallie Ervin on alto saxophone, Hanna Jones on alto saxophone, Brian Ford on trombone, and Jake Spalding on drums, as well as community member Devin McClain on the bass. The combo is directed by Kevin Hart, who also accompanies with piano.
The combo was put together in 1970 by former director Ernie Hoffman. Hart took over directing the combo in 1999. It meets on Mondays for three hours to rehearse and has had four gigs at local spots over the past semester.
“It’s great, because we set up once and we get a longer time to rehearse. We tried meeting more frequently, but we actually had less rehearsal time because setting up and breaking down took away from actual rehearsal time,” Hart said.
Gig spots include the Iron Post, a local jazz hotspot for the Champaign-Urbana area and the Windsor of Savoy resident house. Hart also arranged for the group to perform on University of Illinois campus at the Illini Union for Black History Month.
Students are required to audition for the band once a semester. Audition requirements include scales, playing a provided piece without practicing beforehand by sight-reading, as well as performing a prepared piece.
“I really recommend that students take lessons with private teachers alongside being in the combo.” Hart said.
For each piece performed on at the Second Stage, at least one student was offered the opportunity for an improvisational solo. One soloist, Natalie Ervin, offered comments during intermission.
“I really like the way Kevin runs the band. I think if rehearsals were more spread out, the group would be more tight knit,” Ervin said.
Ervin has been involved in music for her whole life. She began to play piano at age four and learned guitar when she was 12 years old. She has also played alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, and B-flat clarinet in orchestral bands throughout middle and high school.
“My high school was very competitive. I didn’t always get the parts that I wanted, but it didn’t mean I was a bad player. I was in music classes four hours a day and I wanted to see what else there was to do,” she said.
Ervin graduated from Central High school in 2015 and took a small break from music and school before returning in 2017. She is currently attending Parkland and is going for a degree in psychology. She hopes to work in musical therapy.
“I have improved in playing improvisational music since I joined the combo, but the hardest part is nerves. You don’t have nerves in the practice room, but once the lights are on you, and you’re in the front and center performing. It’s a different story.” she said.
Most of the members of the jazz combo play more than one instrument. Honn played both alto saxophone and flute at the performance, and Dyer switched between trumpet and flugelhorn for many of the pieces performed.
“Most students who get involved with the combo play more than one instrument outside of the combo. People who don’t play more than one instrument for the combo do so because it’s less comfortable to switch from your main instrument,” Ervin said.
Pieces performed included jazz classics such as “Jive at Five,” composed by Harry Edison and William Basie and Take Five, composed by Paul Desmond. A jazz rendition of the “Game of Thrones” television show theme music was also performed just before intermission.
