Jazz music lends itself to an almost infinite combination of instruments and uses of style. From a solo jazz guitar to a piano, bass, and drum trio, the elasticity of the genre can lead anywhere. The Allan Hancock College Jazz Band may not have the numbers the Glenn Miller Orchestra did, but it boasts enough members to perform big band jazz repertoire.
Having been a part of the Allan Hancock College Music Department for decades, the jazz band has been directed by Charles “Chuck” Osborne since 2000. Osborne directs the band through rehearsals, selects music to be performed, and directs the live concerts. The upcoming concert is scheduled for May 20 at 7 p.m. at Unity Chapel of Light in Orcutt.
“It’s a nice place, and it’s able to handle what we do,” Osborne said. “There are about 300 seats, so the audience doesn’t usually have to scramble for seats.”
The band started performing at Unity about 10 years ago. The venue affords the band the room it needs. The band plays music arranged for five trumpets, four trombones, four saxophones, piano, guitar, bass, and drums, but the ensemble has some extra power in the horn sections. The group is made up of students, retirees, local professionals, and some professional musicians from the area.
“My lead chair players are wonderful,” Osborne said. “We have a saxophone player, Bob Osborn, and when we need a spur of the moment sax player to jump up and take a solo, he is the guy.”
The Allan Hancock College Jazz Band provides the opportunity for some of its instrumentalists to solo and improvise. In this situation, the band pulls back a bit and gives a single instrumentalist—be it a horn, guitar, or piano player—the center stage to improvise.
“The goal, of course, is to move people; that’s why there is applause after each solo,” Osborne said, “and the soloist is using chord info, scale structure, and, of course, chord alterations to play their own frame of melody.”
The group includes several skilled professional musicians. Pianist for the band George Smith is also involved with the Basin Street Regulars and organizes the annual Jubilee by the Sea Jazz Festival in Pismo Beach, Osborne said. In the trombone section is Kent Anderson, who actually plays a valve trombone rather than the usual sliding trombone. Adding the soprano sound to the ensemble is lead trumpeter Dennis Parke. And providing the rhythmic backbone to the group is local professional drummer Jim Stromberg.
“He is a wonderful drummer,” Osborne said. “He has an aggressive, accurate, and tasty playing style. He can also read music, so it makes him kind of a double threat.”
Playing bass for the jazz band is the Sun’s own political cartoonist, Ross Mayfield. He’s involved with several other local ensembles, including the Allan Hancock College Philharmonic Society and the Allan Hancock College Concert Band as a trombonist.
With the extra players in the horn section, Osborne allows for a few parts to be doubled, often pairing a student instrumentalist with a more advanced player.
“Students are the people who don’t make a living out of music,” Osborne said, “and so they can lean on the strength of other people.”
For the performance at Unity, the group will be joined for a few numbers by vocalist Donna Phillips, who is the choir director at Santa Maria High School. She’ll be backed up by the band while singing some jazz favorites, including “All of Me” and “Blue Skies.” The band will be performing several instrumental works, including works by Glenn Miller, Tom Dossett, and Bill Armstrong.
The Allan Hancock College Jazz Band doesn’t charge admission for its shows at Unity, but humbly holds a free will donation. The money goes toward the group’s biggest expense: purchasing new sheet music to keep hot jazz and swinging beats coming to the community.
Country of composers
The Lompoc Valley Master Chorale presents the concert “American Voices.” Directed by Kathleen Abrams Hacker, the concert will celebrate American composers including Randall Thompson, Aaron Copeland, and Stephen Foster. The centerpiece of the program will be a performance of “Frostiana,” a setting of seven Robert Frost poems by Randall Thompson. The concert is May 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m., First United Methodist Church, Lompoc. Cost is $15, $12 for kids. More info: 588-7204 or Kathleen_hacker@hotmail.com.
West meets south
Bluegrass West presents “A Bluegrass Feast,” featuring a performance of bluegrass music by Peter Feldmann and the Very Lonesome Boys, including dinner, on May 18 at 6 p.m. at Manny’s Terrace Theater, 1693 Mission Drive, Solvang. More info: peter@bluegrasswest.com or bluegrasswest.com.
Voices of the coast
Coastal Voices presents its spring concert, featuring songs emphasizing love and devotion on May 19 at 4 p.m. at St. Andrew United Methodist Church, 3945 S. Bradley, Santa Maria. Cost is $12 ($10 in advance, students younger than 18 get in free). More info: 937-3416, coastalvoices@gmail.com, or coastalvoices.info.
Maverick music
The Maverick Saloon offers live entertainment, including country music by Teddy Spanke and the Tex Pistols in concert May 18 and 19 at 8:45 p.m. followed by “Late Night with guest DJ’s” at 11:30 p.m. “Concert on the Deck” with Teresa Russell is May 19 at 3 p.m. at the saloon, 3687 Sagunto St., Santa Ynez. More info: 686-4785 or mavericksyv@aol.com.
Contact Calendar Editor Joe Payne at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in May 17-24, 2012.