ImprompTune: Remembering the importance of jazz
Written by Abby Thomas
Photos by Katherine Rountree
The Junior Jazz Foundation, based out of Hilton Head, South Carolina, performed at Impromptune.
The event ImprompTune at the SCAD Museum of Art on May 22 aimed to raise awareness of jazz music and awaken passion for the genre in people’s hearts. This event was for the Junior Jazz Foundation, a charity based out of Hilton Head, South Carolina, that educates the younger generation about jazz, supports schools’ music programs, collects instruments for band programs and young adults, provides scholarships to students and holds jazz camps for students.
In “Rejuvenating Jazz,” a film produced and directed by SCAD film student Luke Culleny from Brigantine, New Jersey, he asks Bob Masteller, founder of The Junior Jazz Foundation and a feature at ImprompTune, and Lois Masteller what they think jazz is. They said jazz is the definition of American music.
Lois Masteller said, “Jazz is fun, exciting. It’s inner music.”
Bob Masteller said, “In one word, I would say jazz is freedom. But more than anything, jazz is a feel.” He added, “The ‘feel’ that is required of jazz is not taught well in public schools. I try to get rid of the mechanics and train real musicians in the camps.”
Bob Masteller disagrees with people who say jazz is dying. He is a jazz musician himself and the owner of Jazz Corner, a jazz club in South Carolina. He hopes to make sure jazz stays alive and to educate the younger generation about it.
ImprompTune was brought about through an event planning class at SCAD. Cady Carlson and Will Swisher helped host the event. When asked what made them decide to do it, Carlson said, “Some students were already involved in the Junior Jazz Foundation, and so we all decided this was the event we wanted to do.”
Swisher added, “It’s a foundation that supports art and helps kids, so of course we were going to go with it.”
SCAD graphic design professor Jorge Montero ran the Spontaneous Expression Drawing Workshop during the jazz performances.
The event opened with a workshop given by SCAD graphic design professor Jorge Montero. A rhythmic jazz band played in the museum courtyard while audience members drew to the side. The purpose of the workshop was to find inspiration from the music while also creating the art collaboratively with others.
The band was the North End Jazz Project, with James Berry on piano, Tafari Salaam on alto saxophone, Brennan Clark on bass and Drew Lewis on drums. They were students educated by the Junior Jazz Foundation, and the pianist was the director himself. They were very professional and their musicianship was advanced, especially for their age. Their jams provided the perfect environment.
“Rejuvenating Jazz” was screened at the event. The film is a documentary about the Mastellers and their goals through The Jazz Corner and The Junior Jazz Foundation.
There were also tours of the SCAD Museum of Art, which featured exhibits by artists such as Sam Nhlengethwa, who was very inspired by jazz. He made collages while listening to the music, created pieces that represented the jazz genre and even dedicated work to jazz artists.
Lulu Mutuli, a third-year fashion design student from Kenya, discussed how “jazz is really what ties all the themes together” in the current museum exhibits.
Later in the evening Bob Masteller’s All-Star Quintet performed a concert in the courtyard. Masteller opened up the session with “a trip to the real jazz age” and featured songs from the heart of the jazz age, through the elegant era in the ’20’s. It started with the classic song “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” which provided a fun feel for the audience and caught everyone’s attention. The quintet spotlighted each player, performing variations of the songs very different than the original by adding improvised solos all throughout the music. Bob Masteller was a powerful cornet player, a smooth clarinetist, a slick trombonist, a crazy drummer and a pianist who made it look easy.
“(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue,” was the second song. It switched the mood to a slower, more relaxed feel. Gina Rene made an appearance as their vocalist, and she stole the show with her upbeat personality and scatting tones. Her voice radiated the spirit of jazz, as did her impromptu dance moves.
Vocalist Gina Rene certainly enjoyed herself during the performances.
Listening to the quintet, it was easy to understand what Masteller meant when he said jazz is a feel. Jazz music is beautiful and inspirational, written as a composition of life. Each song conveys an emotion. It’s as if it’s speaking a language and you can understand exactly that is being said, even though there are no words. The music took the audience down a road of emotion and feeling, and the best way to enjoy it was to sit back on your cushion seat and let the sounds drive you. Jazz is truly an important art form. It’s a beautiful expression and deserves to be kept alive.
For more information on The Junior Jazz Foundation, visit their website.
