Jazz Band 1 and Jazzmin Hold Joint Performance at the Fisher Center
- Samantha Graessle
- 25 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Belmont’s Jazzmin and Jazz Band 1 collaborated on Sunday at the Fisher center for a musical journey through the many sounds of jazz.
The vocal jazz ensemble and premier ensemble’s performance, called “From Roar to Rhythm: The Evolution of Jazz,” showcased pieces from different subgenres, time periods and composers. It was part of the College of Music and Performing Arts 2025-2026 season at the Fisher Center.
“I wanted to point out that tonight's music expands over 100 years of jazz history and everything’s a little different. However, one thing that remains consistent throughout the history of jazz is the spirit of collaboration, and I hope that you feel that energy from us tonight,” said Kate Paradise, director of Jazzmin.
The performance opened with a backing band playing “Rush Hour,” a more subdued piece by Yellowjackets from 1981. Later, Jazzmin took to the stage for their set which included the 2008 piece by Esperanza Spalding “I Adore You,” and “Moody’s Mood for Love,” a 1998 piece arranged by Phil Mattson.
Jazzmin closed with a slow and smooth performance of “Count ‘Em (Homecoming)” arranged by Jeff Hall, before exiting to allow Jazz Band 1 to take the stage.
Performing a selection of music arranged by Belmont alumnus and students, the band started out with a fast-paced rendition of “Tones” arranged by Belmont School of Music alumnus John Green and closed with MarioKart soundtrack “Dry Bones Burnout,” arranged by Belmont student Matthew Oliver.
On top of performing students' work, the jazz band also played “Fly Me to the Moon,” which featured Jazzmin member Logan Bressman as a vocal soloist.
For the last leg of the performance, the two groups combined to perform an arrangement originating in 1920 by Darmon Meader, “Avalon,” and gained excitement from the crowd for a cover of Earth Wind & Fire’s “In the Stone.”
For a collaborative finale of the performance, the groups performed award winning “Little Sunflower,” arranged by alumnus of Belmont’s master of music program, David Weinstein.
“My favorite piece to play was definitely ‘Little Sunflower,’ you can really see why it won a DownBeat, it's just so amazingly orchestrated and arranged,” said second tenor Jazz Band 1 member, Luke Melamede.
The concert concluded with a standing ovation before the audience slowly filed to the lobby to greet the musicians.
“I really enjoyed the whole performance. I liked the variety of jazz tunes they selected, and the mixture of Jazz Band 1 and Jazzmin was excellent,” said audience member Aimee Stephenson.
This article was written by Samatha Graessle