Performance

Fall 2022

Coast Jazz Orchestra at Dartmouth

October 27, 2022

This event occurred as part of the 22/23 Hop Ensemble season. This is an archived view.

The student ensemble pays tribute to revolutionary composer, bassist and bandleader Charles Mingus, and premieres new works by student composers.

22/23 Hop Ensemble

Generously supported by a gift to the Don Glasgo Fund in memory of Alan Gottesman '13 and Friends of the Coast Jazz Orchestra.

Program

The Project

Hopkins Center
for the Arts
presents

Coast Jazz Orchestra
at Dartmouth

Taylor Ho Bynum, director

The Coast Jazz Combos

Coached by Taylor Ho Bynum, Jason Ennis, Amy Garapic and Michael Zsoldos

CHANGES
Celebrating Charles Mingus’s centennial, premiering new works by student composers and more

Thursday, October 27, 7:30 pm

Spaulding Auditorium • Dartmouth College • 2022

Generously supported by a gift to the Don Glasgo Fund in memory of Alan Gottesman ’13 and Friends of the CoastJazz Orchestra.

Program

Approximate duration: 75 minutes. There will be a short changeover between ensembles but no intermission.

The Coast Combos

Program and order to be announced from the stage, will include:
Outer Orbits - Eli Hecht ’23
My Fren’ - Tony Perez ’23

The Coast Jazz Orchestra

Flight of Ideas - Amy Norton ’23
The Shoes of the Fisherman’s Wife are Some Jive Ass Slippers composed by Charles Mingus,
arranged by Sy Johnson

Program Notes

“I’m trying to play the truth of what I am. The reason it’s difficult is because I’m changing all the time.”

Charles Mingus

“All that you touch you change. All that you change changes you. The only lasting truth is change.”

Octavia Butler

As we play our final concert in Spaulding Auditorium for the immediate future, we also introduce some new evolutions in the Coast’s century-plus history. While the full creative orchestra will always be the central heartbeat of the Coast Jazz Experience, in response to student needs and interests we’ve also joined forces with Michael Zsoldos and Amy Garapic’s jazz and contemporary music performance labs and recruited Jason Ennis to join the fun, and split the band into no less than five smaller combos, many of which will be performing on stage tonight. (I also want to thank others in the private lessons faculty, including Nicholas Browne, Angel Subero and Jesse Taitt, who’ve been working with many of the students.)

It seems appropriate to introduce these developments at a concert celebrating Charles Mingus’s centennial. Mingus was one of the most extraordinary artists of the 20th century—a passionate and revolutionary figure who changed the face of black creative music as a composer, bandleader and bass player. Whether in small groups or orchestras, Mingus’s music demands individuality and collectivism, a knowledge of the tradition and an interest in the future, and an inexhaustible commitment to the transformative potential of sound. In addition to recognizing the century since his birth, we also acknowledge the deaths in the past few months of two of his most crucial collaborators. Sy Johnson arranged and orchestrated many of Mingus’s large ensemble compositions, including the 1972 album Let My Children Hear Music, which opens with The Shoes of the Fisherman’s Wife, one of the compositions the full orchestra will be playing tonight. Sue Mingus, who was married to Charles for the final 15 years of his life, was a forceful advocate for his music during his life and especially after his death. She formed three repertory ensembles dedicated to his music, fought to produce posthumous premieres of major works, and was recognized as an NEA Jazz Master for her accomplishments. Innovation does not come from individuals alone—it comes from communities, and Mingus’s music would not be what it is today without the contributions of Sy and Sue.

I’m also excited to be premiering new work by three student composers, Eli Hecht ’23, Amy Norton ’23 and Tony Perez ’23. Composition has always been as much a part of the music as improvisation, and I hope more students will be able to try out new ideas under the Coast umbrella, in addition to the annual spotlights in our Spring Senior Feature concerts.

In the words of the great George Clinton, we’re gonna tear the roof off the sucker—or the construction crew will in a few short weeks. But the Coast, in manifestations large and small, will be popping up all over the place to keep the music going over the next few years—and we hope you keep supporting the music wherever you might find it. Enjoy the show!

Taylor Ho Bynum

About the Artists

Taylor Ho Bynum is a musician, teacher and writer, with a background including work in composition, performance, interdisciplinary collaboration, production, organizing and advocacy. His expressionistic playing on cornet, his expansive vision as composer and his idiosyncratic improvisational approach have been documented on over 20 recordings as a bandleader and over a hundred as a sideperson. He has worked closely with legendary elders like Anthony Braxton, Bill Cole, Bill Dixon, Bill Lowe, William Parker, Wadada Leo Smith and Cecil Taylor, and inspiring peers like Tomas Fujiwara, Mary Halvorson, Jim Hobbs, Kyoko Kitamura, Nicole Mitchell and Tomeka Reid, among many others. He is happy to be passing along the codes to the next generation, and has been working at Dartmouth since 2017.

Guitarist Jason Ennis is an exciting voice in the world of jazz guitar. His unique sound, deep groove and sensitive feel, along with a diverse background in jazz, blues, Brazilian music and classical music have made him highly in demand as a soloist, sideman, bandleader and musical director. A graduate of Middlebury College (BA in music), Jason attended Berklee College of Music (Boston) and The San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Currently residing in Pittsfield, MA, Ennis is a Lecturer in Music at Dartmouth College, where he teaches jazz, world and popular guitar styles. He released his debut recording as a leader, Jota Sete, in June of 2022. He co-leads the world jazz trio La Voz de Tres, Sprague/Jaffe/Ennis, the world music collective Mukana, and is co-composer and musical director for En Diablada, an original music project by Chilean vocalist Natalia Bernal.

Amy Garapic is a Brooklyn-based sound maker and educator. Through her work as both performer and collaborative creative facilitator, Amy is constantly energized by asking the question: “what are biological functions of the arts, and how can that inform how the arts are taught, shared and valued?” Namely, how artistic practice and creative engagement foster empathy, connection and confidence in makers of all ages. Amy can be found performing and teaching in major concert halls, academic institutions, rock clubs, public schools and parks alike throughout the US and beyond. She is one-third of the powerhouse percussion trio, TIGUE; guides international artists through monthlong cultural exchange residencies as facilitator with the State Department supported OneBeat; and teaches percussion at Dartmouth College.

Saxophonist, educator, composer, Michael Zsoldos has performed with Paquito D’Rivera, Sheila Jordan, Kevin Mahogony, Houston Person, Jason Palmer, Matt Wilson, Helen Sung, George Schuller, Armen Donelian, Ben Vereen, Yolanda Adams, Bernadette Peters, the Temptations and many others. Michael’s debut CD Off the Cuff is playing on streaming services and jazz radio stations worldwide. Michael is a Senior Lecturer in Jazz & Classical saxophone and music theory, and the Director of the Performance Lab in Jazz Improvisation at Dartmouth College. He is also on the faculties of Interplay Jazz & Arts, and the Vermont Jazz Center in Brattleboro, and is a member of the Jota Sete Quintet, with Jason Ennis, the Vermont Jazz Center Big Band and the Convergence Project.

Coast Jazz Orchestra Roster – Spring 2022

Taylor Ho Bynum, director
Jason Ennis (guitar)
Amy Garapic (percussion)
Michael Zsoldos (saxophone)

Trumpets
Ryan McClure ’23
Amy Norton ’23*
Tucker Stone ’26

Trombones
Denzel Acheampong ’23
Sarah Chacko ’23
Jack McGary ’23
Julia Picker ’24 (+ voice)
Noah Prescott ’26
Jackson Yassin ’26

Saxophones
Bryden Wright ’23
Ben Sontag ’25
Ryan Tabibian ’25

Guitar
Matt Keating ’23
Aidan Adams ’24
Bo Farnell ’26
Aidan Katz ’26

Bass
Eli Hecht ’23
Daniel Amoateng ’25

Piano
Daniel Lin ’23 (+ cello)
Shania Smith ’23 (+ steel pan)

Drums/percussion
Tony Perez ’23
Kirusha Lanski ’24
Sam Beutner ’25
Tanaka Chikati ’25
Damon Dewitt ’25
Tushar Aggarwal ’26
PJ Griffiths ’26

Additional performers with the Coast Combos
Eva Legge ’22 (piano)
Evan Bass ’24 (alto saxophone)
Andrew Brozek ’25 (guitar)
Jae In Kim ’25 (violin)
Ryan Glenn ’26 (saxophone)
Henry Poret ’26 (bass)

*Coast Ensemble Manager

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