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Vol. 1, No. 1 Fall 2013

Evangel University Jazz Studies Insider

The Beginning of the Fall Semester

A Busy Year Ahead!

Welcome, to the first ever Evangel

University Jazz Insider Newsletter. This

newsletter will keep you up to date on

everything EU Jazz Studies. From course

offerings, performances, jazz festivals, guest

artists and special events, this is where you willhear it first.

As we approach the beginning of the 2013-

2014 academic year, I am happy to report that

this year promises to be the busiest yet. I hope

that this newsletter will serve to keep you on

top of all that is going on!

Musically,

Joel Griffin

Follow EU Jazz Studies on

Twitter: @EUJazzStudies

“Like” us on Facebook:

facebook.com/EvangelUniversi

tyJazzStudies

Contact Us

Phone: 417.865.2815 ext. 7839

[email protected]



Vol. 1, No. 1 Fall 2013

2

For the first time since it’s

official inception in 1996, the

EU Jazz Orchestra will be

performing at a collegiate jazz

festival. In March of 2014, the

jazz orchestra will travel to

Temple, TX to participate in

the 23rd Annual Temple Jazz

Festival, held on the campus

of Temple College.

The Temple Jazz Festival,in its 23rd year, is an

entertaining and educational

weekend of outstanding jazz

that will bring together

hundreds of college and high

school musicians for clinics,

competitions and great

performances. The list of

guest artists who have

headlined the festival reads

like a who’s who in jazz; Bill

Watrous, Marvin Stamm, Bob

Mintzer, Ernie Watts, Gordon

Goodwin and John Fedchock,

just to name a few. This

year’s final concert will feature

the Temple Jazz Orchestra

with special guest, Wayne

Bergeron.

Along with the weekend

jazz festival, the EU Jazz

Orchestra will be playing atarea high schools in the

Dallas/Ft. Worth area, as well

as performing a joint concert

with the Southwestern

Assemblies of God University

(SAGU) Jazz Band. This

concert will be held in the

newly constructed Hagee

World Communications

Performing Arts Hall on the

campus of SAGU.

EU Jazz Orchestra to Perform

at The 23rd Temple Jazz Festival

The Evangel Music Department

and Jazz Studies Area are

pleased to announce an addition

to the course offerings in Jazz

Studies. MUSC 114, Jazz

Appreciation, will be offered inthe summer 2014 session. The

course is designed to aid music

students (Music Education,

Performance, Worship

Leadership, and Bachelor of

Arts or Science in Music

Majors) in becoming better

acquainted with the musical

characteristics, techniques,

instrumentation, styles, terms

and methods of the jazz

tradition. The course will

have some mass appeal to the

student body as a whole in

that the course may also be

used for a portion of the

humanities requirement of

Frameworks. For more

information, please contact the

Music Department.

New Jazz Studies Course To be

offered Summer 2014

Cat of the Month

Desiree Bonitz

Desiree Bonitz is a junior

piano performance major

from York, Pennsylvania

Desiree is heavily

involved with the jazz

studies program at EU

playing in the EU Jazz

Orchestra and EU Jazz

Collective. Recently, she

performed with the Joel

Griffin Quartet, fronted

by EU’s Director of Jazz

Studies. Desiree is a well-

rounded musician, not

only as both a classical

and jazz pianist, but also

plays violin in theUniversity Orchestra.



Vol. 1, No. 1 Fall 2013

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EU Jazz CollectiveConcert November 5th, 7:30 PM

The EU Jazz Collective will give its first

ever fall concert. The EU Jazz Collective was

formed in Spring 2013 by director of jazz

studies Joel Griffin. “Jazz isn’t just about the

large ensembles” Griffin says. “Jazz, like

classical music, has chamber ensembles. This is

also a great opportunity for students to perform

more improvisation based music, as

improvisation is the essence of jazz.”

This isn’t the first concert given by the jazz collective. In the Spring 2013, the EU Jazz

Collective and EU Jazz Trio performed in

concert with the Spring’13 Guest Artist,

saxophonist, Wesley Smith.

The EU Jazz Collective plays mostly jazz

standards with selection for this concert to

include Bye, Bye Blackbird, Doxy, On Green

Dolphine Street, Just Friends and others.

The EU Jazz Collective, a jazz quintet, is

made up of: Chris Latorre , trumpet; Marcus

Sunday, saxophone; Desiree Bonitz, piano;

Josh Parrish, drums and Ben Gutowski, Bass.

The concert is set for November 5th at 7:30 PM

in the Barnett Recital Hall on the Evangel

University campus.



Vol. 1, No. 1 Fall 2013

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JazzFALL GUEST ARTIST

EU Jazz Studies isplease to announce thatthe Fall’14 Guest Artistwill be jazz vocalist, KateJones. As apart of theEvangel University ArtistSeries, Kate will performwith the EU JazzOrchestra on theDecember 10th “Swing

Into The Holidays”concert.

The “Swing Into TheHolidays” concert will bethe first all Christmasmusic concert given bythe EU Jazz Orchestra.“We hope it will be

“We hope it will bea fun filled night for the whole family” said Joel Griffin,Director of the EUJazz Orchestra. “Itshould be a greatnight of great musicand we look forwardto a wonderful

performance withKate.”

Kate Jones is avocalist andsongwriter from EastTexas. She beganperforming when shewas 12 years old.

was 12 years old. Since thattime, she has been given the

opportunity to sing in variouschurches across the nation,including The Potter’s House inDallas, TX and City of RefugeChurch in Los Angeles, CA. Sheis a jazz vocalist at heart, but alsoenjoys singing gospel, folk,country and classical music. Sheearned her degree in VocalPerformance at SouthwesternAssembly of God University in

Waxahachie, TX. She is currentlyworking alongside her husbandhelping abused and neglectedchildren at Watersprings Ranch inTexarkana, AR.

The EU Jazz Orchestra willperform Christmas classics, “Let ItSnow,” “Jingle Bells,” “ChristmasTime Is Here,” “The ChristmasSong,” and many more arranged

in a classic big band swing style.

The EU Jazz Orchestra’s“Swing Into the Holidays”Concert will be held Decemebr 10th at 7:30 PM in the BarnettRecital Hall on the campus of Evangel University. Admission isfree and open to the public. “If you want a seat, I would get thereearly,” said Griffin.



Vol. 1, No. 1 Fall 2013

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MMEA All-Collegiate Jazz Band

The Missouri Music EducatorsAssociation (MMEA) has announcedauditions for the 2014 All-Collegiate JazzBand. The MMEA All-Collegiate JazzBand is put together every four years fromall universities and four-year colleges acrossthe state of Missouri. Candidates for thisensemble are selected to audition bydirector recommendation only. This year the Evangel University Jazz Studies Area ispleased to announce that EU Jazz

Orchestra members Chris Latorre (trumpet)and Desiree Bonitz (piano) have beenchosen to audition.

Chris Latorre is a senior music major from Blackwood, New Jersey. A staplefigure in the EU Jazz Orchestra’s trumpetsection, Chris has played in the jazzorchestra for 4 years. Heavily involved inthe music program at Evangel, he hasplayed in the EU Concert Orchestra, EU

Orchestra, EU Marching Band, and the EUJazz Collective. Upon graduating Chrisplans to pursue a masters degree in jazzstudies.

Desiree Bonitz is a junior piano

performance major from York,

Pennsylvania. Desiree is heavily involved

with the jazz studies program at EU

playing in the EU Jazz Orchestra and EU

Jazz Collective. Recently, she performed

with the Joel Griffin Quartet, fronted byEU’s Director of Jazz Studies. Desiree is a

well-rounded musician, not only as both a

classical and jazz pianist, but she also plays

violin in the University Orchestra.

The all-collegiate jazz band will beunder the direction of, famed altosaxophonist and Grammy awardnominee, Brad Leali. Mr. Leali currentlyholds the position of Professor of JazzSaxophone at the prestigious University of North Texas, where his studio hosts thelargest enrollment of saxophonists of anyuniversity in the country. From 1989-1994, Leali was the lead alto saxophonistfor the Harry Connick Jr. Orchestra,

serving as its musical director from 1990-1994. In 1995, he joined the Count BasieOrchestra. During his years as one of thetop jazz musicians in New York City,Leali was a staple figure in jazz venueslike the Village Vanguard, Blue Note, JazzStandard, Iridium, and Birdland. He hasappeared in concert with notable artistsNancy Wilson, Benny Golson, FreddieHubbard, Clark Terry, Jimmy Cobb,Frank Foster, Jimmy Smith, The Mingus

Big Band, Herbie Hancock, George Duke,Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, MaryJ. Blige, Billy Joel to name a few.

Those selected to the all-collegiate jazz band will rehearse and perform at the2014 MMEA Annual Conference held atTan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, MO.



Vol. 1, No. 1 Fall 2013EU Jazz Orchestra Homecoming Concert

The Evangel University Jazz Orchestra (EUJO)

was honored to be asked to play for this years

homecoming concert. Thursday night October 3rd

the EUJO was in full swing to a full house. It was

standing room only as 350+ people packed into the

Barnett Recital Hall to hear live jazz.

“The students worked really hard to make this

concert happen,” says Joel Griffin, director of

EUJO. The jazz orchestra moved their normal

concert forward on the calendar more than a month

to work with the homecoming schedule. “If you are

going to loose that much rehearsal time, you have to

find it somewhere,” said Griffin. “It takes a lot of

work to make this music happen.” The bandrehearsed Labor Day weekend and every Sunday.

The night was filled with standard big band

literature from the Count Basie Orchestra, Woody

Herman and Buddy Rich Big Bands and originals

from composers Scott Harris, Dave Barduhn and

Paul McKee.

Evangel University Jazz Studies

1111 N. Glenstone

Springfield, MO 65802

[email protected]

417.865.2815 EXT. 7839

One the second half of the concert theaudience was surprised with a specialperformance by direct Griffin. “I don’t usuallylike to play on these concerts,” Griffin told theaudience. “I like for this to be about thestudents not me, but Dr. Michael Kolstad,chairman of the department of music, requestedI do so.”

The night ended with a standing ovation for the audience and many people staying around tocongratulate the student musicians on a job welldone. “It may be the best I’ve ever heard the

band,” says Dr. Kolstad. The EUJO has two more performances left

this semester if you missed the homecomingconcert. December 6th they will perform as apartof the EU Christmas Concert and again onDecemeber 10th for their “Swing Into TheHolidays” Concert (see page 4).

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