Bridget Veltri
arts@mustangdaily.net
The University Jazz Band will give students and community members the chance to get up and dance to the sounds of the Swing Era during its annual swing dance concert in Chumash Auditorium Friday.
“It is actually not a concert but a dance,” University Jazz Band Director Paul Rinzler explained. “A concert implies that people are just going to sit down and listen and not dance, whereas Friday night we want people to dance.”
The band will be playing some original arrangements from the swing era, which took place during the ’30s and ’40s, along with some pieces by Louis Jordan.
“We do a range of material that is all danceable,” Rinzler said.
In an effort to make sure people know their steps, the Cal Poly Swing Club will be offering free lessons before the concert at 7 p.m.
“There are some really fantastic swing dancers,” Rinzler said. “It is a way to encourage people to stay for the concert and use what they have learned in the lesson.”
Software engineering senior and swing dance club president Mark Carpenter agreed.
“It’s cool to see people take what I teach them and have fun on the social dance floor,” he said.
Carpenter , who will be teaching the lessons is looking forward to having a live band there.
“The dance will be cool because it is always more fun to dance with a live band than it is with a DJ,” he said. “We don’t often have live music to dance to.”
Rinzler encouraged both students and community members to attend the show, adding that that the dancers make the concert more enjoyable for the audience, whether they choose to dance or just listen.
“There is energy when you have (a) live musician, because there is an interaction with the band and the dancers,” Rinzler said. “You don’t quite get that with recorded music.”
He explained that the live performance makes for a more authentic experience.
“There is an element of authenticity,” Rinzler said. “When swing music was the popular music, people heard it live in the same hall they were dancing in.”
Rinzler said that in the past they have had a mix of students and community members come to the concert. Attendees often come dressed accordingly in swing era clothing, and Rinzler said he hoped this year would be the same.
“I hope that we get a good turnout and that the people will have a lot of fun too,” he said. “If you come to the dance and like swing music you will have a lot of fun.”
The audience won’t be the only ones enjoying themselves at this type of performance. The jazz and rhythm of the swing along with the opportunity for improvisation that comes with playing this type of music is fun for the band.
“Yeah the musicians often say that they have more fun than the audience,” Rinzler said. “Improvisation is an important part of jazz; it is fun for musicians to be able to do what they want with it.”
Tickets for the concert will be $10 for the public and $6 for students.