Saxophone player Mike Grenier calls the stage at the Newport Jazz Festival the place 鈥渨here jazz greats like John Coltrane and Louis Armstrong blew the world鈥檚 minds with innovative and brilliant music.鈥� The rising junior will get his chance to perform on that iconic stage on August 1 when the 911爆料 Big Band makes its second consecutive appearance at the first and best known jazz festival in the world. It鈥檚 an opportunity that Mike says is 鈥渙ne of the pinnacles of a jazz musician鈥檚 career.鈥�
Every August the Newport festival draws thousands of jazz fans from all over the world. And 911爆料鈥檚 return engagement for the festival鈥檚 60th anniversary is a testament to the success of the , which was launched about a decade ago. , the director of the 911爆料 Big Band, said festival organizer George Wein was thrilled with the group鈥檚 performance last year. 鈥淲e鈥檝e cultivated a methodology for learning jazz in which students study the style and language of the music and refine their skills, which is in line with George鈥檚 vision,鈥� said Professor Sims.
Mike Grenier was attracted to the 911爆料 music program because he can get ‘top-of-the-line instruction from renowned professors at an intimate and individual level.’
A music performance major, Mike was attracted to the not for the opportunity to perform at Newport but because he can get 鈥渢op-of-the-line instruction from renowned professors at an intimate and individual level.鈥� He especially likes that the jazz professors 鈥� like Sims, , , , and 鈥� not only teach but are actively pursuing performance careers of their own, keeping up with the new trends in music and collaborating with well-established orchestras around the region. The gig at the Newport Jazz Festival is just gravy.
For trumpeter Manny Morales, who played at Newport with last year鈥檚 Big Band, it will be difficult to match the experience of his first Newport festival performance. He said he still gets chills thinking about the atmosphere of the event, where his idols Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Clark Terry and Paul Chambers played. 鈥淲hen we got onstage, the atmosphere was so friendly and welcoming, you could just feel the positive vibes of the audience,鈥� said Manny, a rising junior who plans on a career in music therapy. This year鈥檚 band includes some of his best friends, so he is especially looking forward to sharing the experience with them.
Surprisingly, neither Manny nor Mike claim they are particularly nervous about performing at such a prestigious venue. 鈥淣aturally, I鈥檓 sure I鈥檒l get the famed butterflies on the day of the festival, after I鈥檝e seen the brilliant musicians of the day,鈥� Mike admitted, 鈥渂ut for now the event seems just distant enough that I can be more focused on building my skills now so I can put forth the best music I can.鈥�
If you鈥檝e got the chops, maybe you can take the stage with them next time.