Fredonia Jazz Ensemble unveils first new album in 16 years this Sunday

A new chapter in the musical odyssey of the Fredonia Jazz Ensemble has been recorded with “Still Kickin’,” the group’s first full-fledged studio album in 16 years.

The FJE — how the Student Association-sponsored ensemble is known on campus — has a storied history, from performing at jazz festivals across the country to giving concerts, clinics and master classes in high schools throughout the state. During the past year the group took a hiatus from the spotlight to re-energize itself, and the result — “Still Kickin’” — has garnered considerable praise even before its planned release on Sunday, April 26, which will feature a concert and release party beginning at 5 p.m. in Diers Recital Hall on the Fredonia campus.

So what’s behind the CD’s title? The Fredonia Jazz Ensemble is still thriving after 75 years, asserted co-director Matt Koerner, a senior from Saginaw, Mich., who plays lead trumpet. “We wanted to convey a sense that big band music is still exciting, still spicy, still around and can be entertaining.”

The 19 members who comprised the ensemble for the recording, along with five additional musicians who contributed to one of the selections, recorded “Still Kickin’” in February at Mark Custom Recording, based in nearby Clarence, N.Y. “We’re very happy to have this project completed,” said Michael Casey a senior from Liverpool, N.Y., and the ensemble’s other co-director. “It means a lot for the band members and for the FJE’s strong tradition.”

Much of the past year was devoted to sharpening the musicians’ skills as an ensemble as well as its personality. “Once we performed a full concert, we realized that we had a very special group,” Casey recalled.

“Some larger colleges record CDs, but given the size of Fredonia, we’re one of the smaller ones. To do this is really above the norm,” said FJE faculty advisor Bruce Johnstone, a renowned baritone sax player who has performed in bands led by Maynard Ferguson and Woody Herman. “It’s quite a unique thing that they’ve done here.”

What they have done is compile a disc that will serve every student associated with the recording, while also continuing the rich tradition of the FJE, which traces its roots to the Fredonia Normal School in the 1930s as a jazz band formed to play at college dances.

“It’ll be the calling card for everybody whose name is on it. It will gain them recognition. Whenever they go to apply for a job as a music teacher or whatever, they will have this as a calling card,” said Johnstone, who also serves as Director of Curricular Jazz Studies at SUNY Fredonia.

In a review of the disc, Thomas Bingham, a Fredonia alumnus, School of Music faculty member and fellow FJE advisor, heralded “Still Kickin’” as a “rousing set of eight top-flight big band performances.” It boasts arrangements which unleash fine solos by FJE regulars and occasionally expands to include vocals, a string section on one selection and guest performances by some of Western New York’s finest jazz veterans, he said.

Swing characterizes most of the eight tracks. “On the Way” is crossover rhythm & blues/smooth jazz that features Casey on alto saxophone. “It’s Just Talk” reflects a modern, smooth Latin style, while listeners will hear a departure with “The Eternal Triangle,” a bebop selection, arranged by Koerner, with John Troy on tenor saxophone.

The FJE is blessed with a strong and very passionate following by alumni, including many who return to campus for Homecoming and the chance to perform again in King Concert Hall. Of course, FJE alumni were thrilled to learn that the group was contemplating a new album.

“We contacted alumni and asked questions about how to do this, what was it like for them and was it a good idea,” said Koerner. “Before you knew it, we had a Facebook forum, a whole network of people volunteering their time and talents. We’ve been getting nothing but unwavering support from all corners of Western New York and all the way out to Los Angeles.”

FJE members only had to glance into the recording booth to see Fred Betschen, a 1984 graduate who studied Sound Recording Engineering, at the controls. Both co-directors praised his contributions. “Fred’s discernable musical skills are unmatched and were essential for the success of the project,” Koerner said. Casey echoed that praise, and added, “He made the studio environment relaxing and easy to work in. He was our onsite philosophical and emotional counselor as well while also helping to produce the CD.”

Another 1984 Fredonia grad, Greg Meadows, a graphic designer who has been creating album cover art since the 1980s, is contributing the artwork for the disc.

Both co-directors, who also handled producer duties, are proud to be continuing the FJE’s legacy by creating this album, the ensemble’s ninth. “We are following in the footsteps of past ensembles, which were what particularly made the Fredonia School of Music so well known and put the university into the spotlight by having a professional level student-run ensemble on campus,” Casey said.

Indeed, the ensemble’s history is chockfull of high notes, ranging from a backlog of eight albums to scooping up every award in sight at national and international jazz festivals.

Music Education is the dominant major among the membership, while others are pursuing degrees in Music Business, Music Performance or Sound Recording Technology. But they’re all serious musicians, and with rare exception, are currently playing in or have played in one or several curricular ensembles in the School of Music.

“They are all taking aspects learned from the curricular bands and making something of their own with it, which is exactly the way it should be,” Johnstone added.

Dedication to incredibly high standards perhaps best describes the FJE’s approach to the recording. Beginning in January, they rehearsed at least three hours every night, four or five times a week, in addition to weekly Sunday afternoon practices. That culminated with two full days in the studio — 12 hours at a time — to produce the disc.

Recording a CD is a major challenge at any level, let alone for a group of college students. Not to be lost in the process were the logistics, the rather imposing size of the ensemble and shrewd organization skills needed to put everything together. But the co-directors proved to be up to the challenge.

“The planning that Mike and Matt put into it was like a military operation. It was most impressive,” said Johnstone. Five-page packets outlined virtually every aspect of the sessions, from arrival times to behavior standards and dress codes.

“Mike and Matt took on an entire role of developing their plan of attack and carrying it through,” he continued. “When they had wrinkles appear in their plan, they had the answers. Both were very focused, very organized. They really found a project that they could sink their teeth into. They’ve really shown some very high character in doing this.”

The ensemble even had to cope with the sudden illness of one of its trumpet players before the recording. Due to the challenging nature of the parts, two fellow Fredonia musicians were recruited to split the trumpet book.

Two guest artists, veteran Buffalo trombone player Phil Sims and Johnstone, contributed to some of the tracks.

The disc includes two compositions by Mr. Sims, who once played in the Tommy Dorsey Band. His “On My Way” features the newly formed Fredonia Jazz Strings, which consists of Amanda Bailey and Caroline Chatterton, on violin; Meghan Laux and Sarah LaValle, viola; and Jennifer Ruggierello, cello. The string ensemble performed impressively on last October’s “Bird With Strings” concert, a tribute presented by the School of Music honoring American jazz saxophone legend Charlie Parker. Wanting to continue as an ensemble, the string players joined the FJE as a unit. The opportunity to include strings on one track was a must. The result: an FJE first.

“You don’t see that too often these days,” Casey said of strings with big bands. “We realized — how cool was that — so we used the string section on our album.” The FJE also added a trumpet player and another rhythm musician into the mix for the disc.

Johnstone accompanied his students in “Superbone Meets The Badman.” Badman was the nickname that Maynard Ferguson tagged Johnstone with when he played with the jazz legend in the early ’70s. The FJE disc represents the first time that the selection has been recorded since Ferguson included it in “Chameleon,” released in 1974. “The standard of play was absolutely wonderful and it was a pleasure to play with them,” Johnstone remarked.

Though his only official role at the recordings was as a soloist, both co-directors agreed Johnstone served as a valuable resource. “We bounced ideas off him; he’s sort of our go-to-person. If we have any problems, if we have ideas, we bounced them off him,” Casey explained.

In addition to playing lead trumpet, Koerner exercised his talent as an arranger, Johnstone said. “That’s where you take a tune, orchestrate it for a particular ensemble and inject your own style. The arranger must have a solid grounding in theory, harmony, voicing, and have a musical imagination. Everything that we teach them at Fredonia is all of a sudden being put into practical use.”

Also worthy of note is the large number of freshmen – eight – on the FJE roster. “They were absolutely amazed to come to Fredonia and appear on a CD,” Johnstone said. “None of them had ever done anything live in a recording studio. That’s something you usually work up to as a senior and do as a project. To come in as freshmen and get scooped up in all this is, I think, very rare.”

FJE musicians performing on the disc were: Patrick Quinn, Joseph North, John Troy, John Cieply and Casey, on saxophone; Thomas Tillistrand, Matt Bowman, Ian Taylor, Mary Palmer and Koerner, trumpet; Peter Isaac, David Hollenbeck, Joshua Frisch and Eric Iannucci, trombone; and Chris Sclafani, Shannon Hara, Michael Lamardo, Jeff Utter and Jason Weisinger, rhythm section.

Casey believes his FJE experience will advance his career goal of becoming a music teacher at the middle or high school level. “Any time you get your hands on directing an ensemble you set yourself apart from the other people,” he said.

Distribution of the CD is also being handled by the FJE. In addition to the CD release concert and reception on Sunday, April 26, the disc will be available for purchase at future FJE concerts, the college bookstore and various online retailers.

“In all, this new CD will leave listeners hoping the Fredonia Jazz Ensemble will be heading back to the recording studio a whole lot sooner next time out,” adviser Bingham wrote. “You’re certain to get a ‘kick’ out of ‘Still Kickin’.”