Just two weeks before his jazz concert Thursday, Paul Johnston had an idea.
Johnston coaches Eastern Illinois University’s jazz combos — small jazz groups typically no more than seven members. One of those combos, Blue Note Quartet, lacked percussion.
The combo thought a couple of their songs could do with an Afro-Cuban rhythmic beat. Funnily enough, director of Eastern’s percussion ensemble, Jamie Ryan, has been a performer of Afro-Cuban music for 30 years.
Johnston and the combo reached out to Ryan with the proposition.
“I was like, ‘Well yeah, that’s in my bag,’” Ryan said.
Since then, the two groups have practiced together four times. Ryan has been preparing his students with the foundations of “Salsa-Afro-Cuban-Jazz” rhythmic settings, according to Ryan.
“It’s super awesome,” said Paul Nau, who plays vibraphone with Blue Note Quartet. “I love playing with them, especially because we haven’t had a drummer. So having any sort of rhythmic companions is very appreciated.”
The percussion ensemble will play two songs come Thursday night: “Stablemates” by Benny Golson and “Pensativa” by Clare Fischer. Ryan describes those two as “jazz standards” — widely known, widely played tunes familiar to seasoned jazz performers.
Nau said the quartet will play the jazz melodies for both songs while the percussion ensemble will keep a “salsa” and “bolero” rhythm. He said their arsenal of percussion brings energy to the group.
To name a few, the percussion ensemble has: congas, timbales, bongos, Güiros and bells, all of which are staples of Latin rhythmic music.
A collab of this kind is unusual for Eastern as this is the first time the university’s percussion ensemble has played with a jazz combo.
“The most compelling music for me is often music that happens at the intersection of genres,” Johnston said. “I really like jazz music, and the percussion ensemble has this Afro-Cuban element to it. So, it’s kind of a merging of that, which I find compelling.”
Blue Note Quartet and Eastern’s percussion ensemble will open the concert, followed by two jazz combos: Vanguard Trio second and Birdland Quintet last. The show should last about 70 minutes, said Johnston.
Johnston is on piano for Vanguard Trio and Birdland Quintet, which is also unusual for Eastern’s jazz combos. Evan Irvin, Vanguard Trio’s bassist, said seeing Johnston’s “advanced decisions” has enhanced his playing.
“It’s been fun to really dig into the music with them,” Johnston said of the Vanguard Trio. “I feel like we’ve gotten into a lot more detail. It’s really great.”
Vocalist Alana Dove, who transferred to Eastern from the University of North Texas, will sing a couple of songs at the concert, her favorite of which is “Endless Lawns” by Carla Bley.
“It’s a lot different, as horn players, playing with a singer,” said Noah Captain, who plays tenor sax with Blue Note Quartet. “Jazz combos are horn players most of the time, so whenever you add a singer to the table, it changes our role to backup rather than the main thing going on.”
She said the jazz combos don’t typically have a vocalist, and the position is new this semester.
“When I transferred to EIU, they allowed me to [sing] because I was a jazz major at my old university,” said Dove. “So, it’s kind of new.”
The combos have been coming up with creative ways to incorporate vocals into their sets, according to Johnston. He’s excited to see what the group sounds like in front of an audience.
“The audience always adds a new dynamic,” said Johnston. “So, we’re used to rehearsing and playing together in our rehearsal space, but it’s nice to share what we’ve been rehearsing with the audience. And that adds kind of another layer sometimes.”
Aidan Cusack can be reached at 581-2812 or at atcusack@eiu.edu.
