By Jenna Luginbill, for the CVPost
The top University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Jazz Ensembles were joined by a trio of UW-EC alumni Friday evening for a well done and highly enjoyable Christmas concert at the Pablo Center at the Confluence.
The Niskas, a Minneapolis based trio, performed with the UW-Eau Claire Jazz Ensembles l and ll in the RCU theater. The theater seats over 1,200 people and at least half of the seats were full on Friday.
This “Christmas with the Niskas” show featured brand new arrangements written by ASCAP award-winning composer and UW-EC alumnus Aaron Hedenstrom.
Both ensembles began with a few jazz charts they have been working on this fall semester. These included: “Saturday Night (Is The Loneliest Night Of The Week),” an homage to Frank Sinatra played by Jeremiah Tank, bass trombone player of Jazz Ensemble ll.
Jazz Ensemble l then took the stage for its set, which included “American Express” by Bob Brookmeyer. The group finished the first portion of the concert with its rendition of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” featuring Cam Becker on bass trombone.
After intermission. . .
After a short intermission The Niskas joined the ensembles on stage. The trio consists of brothers Terry and Kurt Niska and Lorie Carpenter-Niska, who is married to Kurt. The harmony among this trio makes them unique in comparison to other performers. For this portion of the concert a UW-EC student combo – cello, piano, upright bass, drums, and guitar – backed up the trio.
The Niskas performed their cover of Pentatonix’s “That’s Christmas to Me” and part way through their set, they left the stage and the audience got to hear local pianist Josh Gallagher tickle the ivories to “The Christmas Song.” This performance was one of my favorites of the evening as the music from the piano resonated throughout the entire concert hall. Gallagher’s rendition of the song was flawless, leaving the audience wanting more of the traditional piano pieces.
The UW-Eau Claire Jazz Ensemble l has been awarded the prestigious Downbeat Jazz Award eight times as of the spring of 2018. Both ensembles are directed by Robert Baca, UW-EC trumpet professor and the university’s director of jazz studies. To close out the concert, The Niskas and Jazz Ensemble l welcomed Baca to the stage to be featured on his flugelhorn on the melody of “Silent Night.”
Friday evening at the Pablo was an excellent way to kick off the holiday season and I look forward to future performances by the Jazz Ensembles. If you couldn’t attend this concert, do take in their future performances if you can.
Jenna Luginbill is a first-year student at UW-Eau Claire, where she is a member of the Blugold Marching Band. She is a 2018 graduate of Memorial High School, where she played the alto saxophone in various music ensembles for four years.
Note: the home page photo of the Nov. 30 jazz concert, featuring The Niskas and UW-Eau Claire Jazz Ensembles I and II, was taken by Jenna Luginbill.