Recording the CD, explained Tom Streeter, professor of music and the Jazz Ensemble s faculty leader, gave the students the opportunity to experience first hand what it s like to consistently perform at recording-industry standards. Other bands represented on the CD are Stan Kenton, Duke Ellington, Bob Crosby, and Les Brown. The IWU recording is just another example of swing music s resurgence.
Swing music is upbeat and young people enjoy dancing to it.
Streeter and the Jazz Ensemble were urged to record the CD by IWU alumni who enjoyed the group s performances at an alumni dinner held in LaGrange, Ill., over the last two years. Instrumentation for the CD includes five saxophonists, five trumpeters, five trombonists, a pianist, a bass player, a drummer, a vibes player, and two vocalists. Reich on tenor saxophone, Parsons on the piano, and Malin on trumpet, and Thomson on trombone. The CD was recorded in three, two-hour sessions in IWU s Westbrook Auditorium, located in Presser Hall, which is home to the School of Music. Inc. This is the first CD recorded by the Jazz Ensemble.