Jazz music always has a way of lifting my spirits. With the stress of finals beginning to sink in, the Jazz Repertory Ensemble’s performance at Voxman Music Building was a welcome relief. 

As the lights dimmed and the 12 musicians, teaching assistant Mathuin Smith, and their director, adjunct assistant professor of Jazz Studies Rich Medd, walked out on stage, I sat back and prepared myself for a night of fun-filled jazz.

I was not disappointed. The first piece, “Jolly Beach” by Annie Booth, brought the classic energetic jazz melodies, beginning with the drums accompanied by piano and bass, with the nine brass instruments falling in behind. “Jolly Beach,” as Medd joked afterward, was the closest to a Christmas piece in the evening’s program. 

The first brass soloist of the evening was alto sax player Will Dohmen, accompanied by pianist McKenzie Bandy, drummer Jeff Rich, and bass player Mac Wilson. The lively piece was as bouncy as its name suggests, and I found myself bobbing my head alongside the audience to its upbeat rhythms.

I always forget how powerful the sound of jazz can be, and the nine brass instruments wailing in harmony quickly filled the large concert hall. When the piece concluded, the final notes lingered in the brief quiet before the room echoed with well-deserved applause. 

The second piece of the evening was “Blue and Sentimental” by Count Basie, and, as the name suggests, was a complete mood change from the previous bright piece. The piano took the lead with the other instruments adding to the soft melody to create a beautiful, almost bittersweet piece. 

Trumpet player Jack Krause was the soloist in this piece, and even as the other instruments played with him, I could still hear his quiet melody. Jazz can lift my spirits, but I always forget that it can lower them too. I remind myself this musical sadness is just as beautiful.

The third piece of the evening was one of my favorites, and it was called “Catch Me if You Can!” by Rick Hirsch. As someone who recently watched the 2002 Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks movie, I was slightly disappointed to learn that this was not like the movie. However, that disappointment quickly faded when the director informed us that the composer wrote it with a car chase in mind. 

Alto saxophonist Kate Carlson and tenor saxophonist Julian Dominguez were the soloists for this piece. The piece was fast-paced, with brass instruments interjecting in the melody to honk like car and truck horns, which made me smile. 

It was very much like the whimsical car chase the director described, and the sudden, resounding finish felt like a cliffhanger, leaving me wondering if they captured the imaginary criminal.

The fourth piece of the evening had an interesting backstory. For the piece, “Utviklingssang,” composer Carla Bley was inspired by protests happening in Norway over the building of dams. According to the director, Bley actually performed this piece at the University of Iowa in 2003. This composition was arranged by Bob Washut.  

I have never been to Norway, but this piece made me want to travel there. The trombone began the piece with low, almost mournful notes, followed by the cymbals and trumpets. In my mind, I thought of the ocean, the sounds of the piece, almost like the ebb and flow of the tide.

The final piece was a composition by Smith, titled “Uncle Sean,” inspired by his father. Smith said to the audience that he wrote the piece approximately four-and-a-half years ago when he was a first-year student, and a music line came to mind that he rushed to play on the piano. 

Smith shared that the piece featured saxophone and piano, and I counted four of the five saxophonists who had solos in this lively piece. When the trombone had a brief solo, Smith invited the audience to clap along to the catchy beat, which was fun and engaging.

While Smith said the piece featured piano, what I was not expecting was for the pianist to play piano on one hand and a keyboard on the other, the two instruments making an ‘L’ shape. 

The keyboard had a funky, electric sound that added a unique twist to the traditional jazz music, which I was also not expecting but thoroughly enjoyed. 

As the performance concluded with a final flourish, the audience erupted with cheers and applause.

I left Voxman feeling energized and a little bit more confident about finals week, grateful for the music that made me feel this way.