Sarah Brewer
Staff Writer
Clad in cowboy boots and a tell-tale ten-gallon hat, the man taking to the stage for the 33rd annual Country Jazz Fusion Concert on Halloween made it clear that that evening, he was not in costume.
Western swing performer Dave Alexander was not playing a trick in cahoots with fiddler Dale Morris Jr. and the CU Jazz Ensemble and CU/Lawton Jazz Ensemble; rather, he said it was a treat to perform for the audience on the night of Oct. 31 at the CU Theatre.
For Alexander, the CU Theatre is a familiar haunt: he has been a guest artist on five other occasions. His roots are in jazz, but performing with George Strait, Toby Keith, Sheryl Crow, LeAnn Rimes and Willie Nelson gives the four-time Grammy nominee credibility in the country genre.
He is no stranger to working with students either. Alexander said the concert serves as a learning experience for those who are aspiring for a career in the music industry.
“When everybody does their best, we all know it, and we reach a certain level of accomplishment,” Alexander said. “They’ve been practicing and doing their own little things, but when you get bigger and start working in the outside world, you start realizing that it’s pretty rewarding and fun.”
Alexander credited the students for making the music their own.
“They certainly are owning them for tonight,” he said. “Without them, we couldn’t do them. It’s their efforts that are bringing them into fruition.”
Several hours prior to the concert, both Alexander and Morris lectured over the origins common to jazz and country music. Many assume that the fiddle is essential only to country, Morris explained, but the instrument has been integral to jazz since the 1920s.
“While the fiddle is not usually thought to be anything other classical or country music, it isn’t really a one-trick pony,” Morris said.
Morris has history with the CU Theatre, too: when he was last there, his high school jazz band had won a contest and an opening slot for William James “Count” Basie.
At the start of the concert, the Cameron University Jazz Ensemble took its turn playing arrangements of “Cantaloupe Island” by Herbie Hancock that and “Ran Kan Kan” by Tito Puente. Vocalist Alyssa Yates of Elgin sang “Misty” with a voice as soft as velvet.
Featuring Alexander and Morris, the CU Jazz Ensemble went on imbue their versions of “Western Boogie,” “Night Life” and “Minnie the Moocher” with western swing. Both bands came back to play “Body and Soul” by Stan Kenton and “Basie Straight Ahead” by Count Basie and his Orchestra.
Alexander and Morris came back to play “Orange Blossom Special,” “Since I Fell For You,” “Take the ‘A’ Train” and “Am I Blue,” a tune made popular by George Strait, with both ensembles. After Alexander sang the lyrics to a Willie Nelson medley, Morris elicited a standing ovation from the audience with a rousing fiddle solo.
Instructor Justin Pierce, who teaches American Popular Music, Woodwinds and other private lessons, continued tradition by directing the concert. Rehearsals began in the beginning of September, but what makes the performance special, in his opinion, is the spontaneous formation of sounds.
“We’re always practicing and trying to get better, so I think we are trying to exceed expectations that the audience has and make them leave here tapping their toes and enjoying themselves.”
Sophomore Music Education major Brad Wolf, helming the bass guitar for night, said it was satisfying to hear the bands come together in unison.
“Everything went off without a hitch,” he said, “and all of the improvised sections were phenomenal. I wasn’t expecting the solos to be so good, but they were.”