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Arts & Entertainment

Students to Perform Free Jazz Combo Concert

GRAYSLAKE, IL Grayslake Jazz Combo Workshop participants to play free concert in Grayslake’s Central Park Pavilion from 2-4 pm on Sunday, Aug. 7th, 2011 (rain date, Aug. 14th)

Nineteen middle and high school students participating in the Grayslake Jazz Combo Workshop will perform a free concert on Sunday, August 7, 2011, from 2-4 pm at the Grayslake Central Park Pavilion. Parents and community members are invited to attend.

Participants have met for five two-hour sessions in their instructors living rooms this summer and have learned jazz standards in a combo setting. In a typical session, a drummer, guitarist, bass player, pianist, and sax, trombone, and trumpet players work together to learn and play scales and chords, try their hand at improvising new melodies, decide on openings and endings, and discuss the tricks of the trade for jazz performance.

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The following students participated in the 2011 GJCW Combos:

Sunday Night Combo, directed by Paul Nielsen: Ben Ferris (drums), Jeremy Ferris (alto sax), Mary Menhart (alto sax), Rob Starzec (piano), Sarah Wasik (guitar), and Mitch Willming (trumpet).

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Sunday Night Combo, directed by Bill Chapin: Ben Goldman (bass), Rachel Harmon (piano), Fox Hobart (trumpet), Griffin Johnson (drums), Eli Karris (trombone), and Chris Mohrfeld (alto sax).

Monday Night Combo, directed by Bill Chapin: Gianni Carvajal (drums), Ben Goldman (bass), Vern Jensen (trombone), Michelle May (trumpet), Travis Ritchie (piano, alto sax), Noah Schuetter (guitar, piano, trumpet), Matthew Soriano (alto sax), and Robert Teets (alto sax).

Jazz pianist Bill Chapin established the combo workshop in the summer of 2001 to provide his jazz piano students experience playing in a combo setting. Multi-instrumentalist Paul Nielsen later joined Bill as an instructor in this program to help young people develop their improvisational and creative skills.

Bill Chapin has been playing piano professionally in the Chicago area since 1978, taught jazz piano at the College of Lake County for 8 years, and currently teaches privately.

Paul Nielsen is well known in the Chicago area, both as a jazz and music educator and as a working musician on multiple instruments. He directs the choirs at Grayslake North High School and the jazz band at Grayslake Central High School and currently serves as the District 7 President of the Illinois Music Educators Association

More information is available under the Jazz Combo Workshop link at www.chapinandchapin.com.

About Grayslake Jazz Combo Workshop (GJCW): GJCW is a 5-week workshop for 4-10 jazz students to learn and develop jazz improvisational skills through playing in a jazz combo with like-skilled peers. The workshop includes 5 two-hour combo sessions and one concert. Also, each student receives one 45-minute private session focused on her/his instrument.

Area students have been learning about jazz improvisation in a combo setting through the Grayslake Jazz Combo Workshop since the summer of 2001. 

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