Photo courtesy of Stephen Pariser
45 years ago, on a fine summer day in 1973, four jazz musicians were having a conversation at the Ohio State Fair.
It may sound like the start to a good joke, but was actually the start of a wonderful tradition.
Musician Wes Orr turned to a friend to ask a simple question: “Why don’t we start a band?”
The same question has been asked innumerable times throughout history, most often with no result. But his conversation partner took the idea to heart.
That partner was Ray Eubanks. A professor as well as a professional trumpet player, Eubanks founded the Jazz Arts Group of Columbus (JAG) at Capital University soon after.
“I had, for several years, thought the only way big band music was going to survive was by creating it in a not-for-profit environment, much like symphony orchestras,” says Eubanks.
The organization’s loyal audience has steadily grown throughout the years, allowing it to increase performances from five per year in 1973 to four per month in the 2017-18 season.
“A lot of people that didn’t know they liked jazz found out they did,” says Eubanks.
Though many other cities have their own jazz orchestras, Columbus’ is the oldest nonprofit organization for jazz performance in the U.S., and is a full 15 years older than New York’s vaunted Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
Byron Stripling with Doc Severinsen. Photo courtesy of Stephen Pariser
“It’s another Columbus milestone that I think that we need to celebrate,” says JAG Artistic Director Byron Stripling. “That we were the first on the map, and the band has continued to endure.”
To that end, JAG is celebrating its 45th anniversary all season long, with the biggest show of the season being a Columbus Jazz Orchestra performance Oct. 12-15 at the Southern Theatre. A CJO 45th Anniversary Extravaganza kicks off the 2017-18 Swingin’ with the CJO Concert Series.
“Behind some of the songs we play, we’ll have a photo retrospective going that will show you some of the progression of the Columbus Jazz Orchestra throughout the years,” says Stripling. “So it will be a way to celebrate visually as well as musically.”
The concert also features three guest artists: composer/conductor John Clayton, pianist Micah Thomas and saxophonist Joshua Redman.
Columbus native Thomas was greatly influenced by JAG’s educational programs and is now studying at Juilliard School of Music.
“He’s one of the most incredible young piano soloists that I’ve heard recently in the country,” says Stripling. “And that’s not overstating it. It’s just the truth. We’re proud of him because he came through our jazz program. … It’s our subliminal way of celebrating one of our own.”
Ray Eubanks and Byron Stripling. Photo courtesy of Stephen Pariser
Legendary composer, bassist and Grammy Award winner Clayton is co-founder of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and has played with such artists as Yo-Yo Ma and Paul McCartney. He has been commissioned to compose and conduct a unique piece for JAG’s 45th anniversary, which will be revealed at the event.
Redman’s music has been nominated for several Grammy Awards and been featured in films including Blues Brothers 2000, Space Cowboys and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
The stars of the show, though, are the members of the 17-piece orchestra, who showcase the talent and passion that has been growing through the local jazz community for so many years.
Byron Stripling and Bobby Hoyd. Photo courtesy of Stephen Pariser
Byron Stripling, Pete Mills, Dwight Adams. Photo courtesy of Stephen Pariser
Bill Holman with Ray Eubanks. Photo courtesy of Stephen Pariser
Photo courtesy of Stephen Pariser
“I think it can be a really life-changing concert for people because they’ll see the greatness of jazz in Columbus and get to experience all these great musicians that live right here in their own community,” says Stripling.
Live jazz provides an experience that simply cannot be conveyed through a CD or iPod, Stripling says.
“(Listeners) can’t get it from a radio. They can’t get it from a YouTube video,” he says. “(When you’re) sitting live in an orchestra, or at a concert, and experiencing the Columbus Jazz Orchestra … it’s only then that you open your heart to what this music is about, which is improvisation. … It’s present tense music.”
Remaining shows on the Swingin’ with the CJO schedule, which runs through March, feature R&B, New Orleans-style jazz, holiday favorites and tunes by legends of jazz.
A CJO 45th Anniversary Extravaganza
Oct. 12-15
Southern Theatre
Tickets $15-$68
www.jazzartsgroup.org
Valerie Mauger is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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