Jonathan Corona listens almost exclusively to music from another era.
Corona, a saxophonist and UO student, said that even outside of the world of practicing and performing, he’s constantly listening to jazz music. He listens to it more than most trending songs.
“In high school I got introduced to jazz and thought it was the coolest thing ever,” he said. “I like it for its sophistication, I guess, and jazz is all about improvisation. I think that’s the most creative thing ever.”
By auditioning for jazz combos fall term, students have the opportunity to practice, arrange and perform jazz music in a group of students with compatible skills. Although most students in combos are jazz studies majors, any student may audition.
Mike Denny, coordinator for the jazz combos, said that being in a combo group prepares students to become professional musicians. Members must interact with other musicians, memorize music and often compose original pieces.
“You know it’s a very creative outlet for them,” Denny said. “Each combo experience builds on itself so it’s a climate of growth.”
Keenan Dorn, a guitarist in a combo group, said that jazz is an especially tough category of music to learn since most people don’t grow up around it. People are no longer in the age where jazz was among the most popular music genres, even though it influenced the origins of styles like R&B and hip hop.
Regardless, Dorn enjoys the harmonic, rhythmic and theoretical challenges that face jazz musicians. He practices roughly two to four hours daily.
Dorn said one of the benefits of performing jazz is that it allows him to interact with band members and audiences through a unique artistic medium.
“I like expressing how or what I’m feeling with a shared language just like people like to tell stories and perform drama,” Dorn said. “Music is just another language.”
The performances that allow Dorn these connections occur a few times a term, each with different ensembles of about 4 or 5 people. There are roughly eight to 10 active groups at a time, either in the music hall or at the Jazz Station in Downtown Eugene.
In jazz combos, students don’t just improvise. They often compose music and arrange it for every instrument in a combo group, or transcribe written music for a specific instrument.
Dorn said that this can be difficult, but experience helps.
“I think anyone can achieve anything as long they put enough time, energy, and dedication into it,” he said.
He added that most people who come support the jazz combos at concerts are music majors, musicians supporting other musicians.
Dorn wishes more people knew about the jazz combos as well as other lesser-known programs that UO offers.
Denny said he’s had all good experiences with the UO jazz combos and anyone with a certain level of ability can audition.