Published: June 25, 2009 09:47 pm      

Jazz audience to share stage with musicians

ASHLAND — Jazz fans will find seats so close they’ll be able to see the saxophonist’s sweat on stage tonight at the Paramount Arts Center during the first concert in the 2009 Jazz Alley series.

With the audience seated around musicians on stage behind a drawn curtain, organizers promise music lovers “an intimate experience.”

“I think it’s great,” said pianist Dr. Sean Parsons, one of the musicians who will be banding together for tonight’s show.

He said jazz musicians have a long history of playing in small spaces, such as dance halls, with their audience upclose and personal.

Recordings of those performances are “really explosive,” Parsons said, adding, “I think that comes from that closeness with the audience.”

The evening’s performance will also have an element of danger, he said, because the musicians will have no rehearsal and have never played together as a unit.

“It will sound like we’ve all been playing together a long time,” Parsons said with confidence, explaining the performers are experienced musicians with extensive jazz knowledge.

The band will be made up of Craig Treinen, Director of Jazz Studies/Applied Saxophone at Washburn University in Topeka, Kan.; Dr. Martin Saunders of Marshall University on trumpet; Parsons of Marshall University on piano; Dr. Toby Curtright of Phoenix on bass; and Steve Hall of Marshall University on drums.

The show, dubbed “A Swingin’ Affair,” will feature music from standard jazz repertoire with an array of songs from the Great American Songbook and the jazz masters.

“This group of musicians is made up of performers who have performed with the likes of the Cab Calloway Orchestra, Frank Sinatra, Jr., the Four Freshman, Arturo Sandoval, the United States Air Force Jazz Ensembles, Ray Charles, Clark Terry, James Moody and Steve Turre,” Parsons said.

Comprised of jazz musicians from throughout the United States, this group is brought together with the assistance of Marshall University’s Jazz-MU-Tazz festival.

The Jazz Alley series will continue at 8 p.m. July 17 with a performance by Lisa and Glenn Gin.

Lisa Gin, described as “a natural vocalist,” and accomplished guitarist Glenn Gin perform a unique blend of standard jazz compilations, gospel and original music influenced by a wide array of American musical styles.

The series wraps up with an Aug. 21 concert by the Stolen Moments Jazz Quartet, known for experiments with a variety of jazz styles. Stolen Moments is made up of Ron Oxley, Terry Roush, Jim Florkevich and Scott Milam.

For more information or tickets to the Jazz Alley series at the Paramount Arts Center, visit www.paramountartscenter.com on or call (606) 324-3175.

TIM PRESTON can be reached at tpreston@dailyindependent.com or at (606) 326-2651.