The WSU jazz studies program was recognized for excellence at the recent 2016 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival held at the University of Idaho.
The WSU Jazz Big Band, under the direction of Brian Ward, received an “Outstanding Performance” award and was selected from among College Day ensembles to perform in the Young Artists Concert that evening. » More …
The class begins with the music of the 1920’s and continues through the introduction of MTV. Music instructor Brian Ward says sometimes students say it’s their favorite class; they get to listen to music they enjoy.
Both Pullman sections of the class are already full.
“9:00 am,” a recording featuring Washington State University jazz faculty members Brian Ward, piano, and Dave Hagelganz, tenor saxophone, was recently released on the peer-reviewed WSU Recordings label.
It is available on iTunes, Amazon mp3, Amazon On Demand, Spotify, Rhapsody and other websites. Compact discs are available from the WSU School of Music.
The recording features duo performances of beloved songs from the “Great American Songbook,” including Johnny Mercer and Hoagy Carmichael’s “Skylark,” Jimmy Van Huesen and Johnny Burke’s “It Could Happen To You” and jazz standards like Woody Shaw’s “Theme for Maxine” and Sam Rivers’ “Beatrice.” The recording is entitled “9:00 am” because that is the time the duo rehearsed.