Vanguard of jazz

Written by

Ed Peaco

For the News-Leader

Resounding over five concerts in four days, Missouri State University’s annual Composition Festival will feature pieces by campus music writers and a student performance of works by the visiting composer, a leading architect of new sounds in jazz.

While the festival poses challenges for music students, listeners can share in the rewards of bringing musical ideas to life.

One highlight of the March 11-14 festival will be a concert of student compositions from a 72-hour music-writing contest. Three more concerts will feature the MSU Chamber Orchestra, campus composers and a guest pianist.

The centerpiece of the festival is the work of visiting composer Darcy James Argue, a Brooklyn-based composer who has transported big-band jazz into a new dimension of intricate rhythms, dramatic colors and sound effects, and influences from all aspects of contemporary creative music.

Argue’s 2009 album, “Infernal Machines,” gained critical praise and top awards from the jazz community with original works for his 18-piece band, Secret Society. The MSU Jazz Studies Ensemble will perform pieces from the album and other Argue selections at 7:30 p.m. March 13 in Hammons Hall. Argue will participate in final rehearsals of his music and work with students in various settings during the festival.

MSU bass trombonist Austin Wilson’s remark, focusing on one moment of an Argue composition, could serve as a starting point for thinking about his music:

“Sometimes it sounds really beautiful, and sometimes it makes your heart turn a little bit.”

Firing up 'Infernal Machines'

Weeks before his arrival, Argue began to challenge the students as they confronted his intricate scores under the direction of Professor Randy Hamm, director of Jazz Studies.

From interviews with students and Hamm, it was clear that the musicians are thriving on the technical challenges of Argue’s work — motivated by their opportunity to step into the vanguard of new music.

The difficulty in Argue’s scores is not in playing the individual parts but in bringing all the parts together so they mesh properly, drummer Ian Erickson said. “There’s so much interplay. It’s so intricate,” he said.

http://www.news-leader.com/article/20120302/LIFE/303020044/1004/rss05