Jazz X-Press to groove for benefit at Nick's Night Club

Originally published May 07, 2008 in The Orion.
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Graffiti is welcome in few places on campus, but associate professor Rocky Winslow proudly displays his decorated office walls, tagged by distinguished jazz musicians including Bobby Shew and Lori Bell.

Winslow is the director of the jazz studies program and the student ensemble Jazz X-Press. Since joining the music faculty in 2002, Winslow has helped bring big-name performers to Chico, allowing students to learn from the jazz veterans. However, Jazz X-Press will go directly to the action in June, traveling to Telluride, Colo., for the Telluride Jazz Celebration.

Jazz X-Press will be the only university-affiliated group sharing the stage with artists such as The Neville Brothers, McCoy Tyner and Joe Lovano, Winslow said. Winslow has played the festival on other occasions, but the executive director of the festival, Paul Machado, invited Jazz X-Press to perform after watching a video of the ensemble on YouTube.

One perk of playing the festival is backstage passes, which will allow students to interact with all the festival performers, Winslow said. Before the students get there, they need to raise about $16,000 to cover bus, housing and food expenses for the 25-member ensemble.

The university has been a big supporter, but the group has held performances and sought help from the community, he said. Jazz X-Press will be playing a benefit show Saturday at Nick's Night Club.

The benefit show proves Winslow is not the only person with connections because it was organized by one of the students.

Tino Marrufo, grad student in ethnomusicology, plays percussion for Jazz X-Press, but is also a member of various rock bands including Mute Witness, he said. He has worked on several rock shows with Katie Perry, founder of Chico's Devil Kat Rock Productions and booking agent for Nick's Night Club, so it was natural for him to reach out to her on behalf of Jazz X-Press.

"That's what's cool about the Chico music scene, we build relationships," he said.

The show will be a new experience for both Jazz X-Press and Nick's Night Club, Marrufo said. Jazz X-Press is used to playing venues on campus such as Harlen Adams Theatre, while Nick's Night Club usually hosts punk and metal shows. Marrufo thinks it will be a great experience and add diversity to the music scene.

Winslow sees the show as a road test, he said. The Nick's Night Club stage is much smaller than the Harlen Adams Theatre stage, so the ensemble will have to learn to adjust. The situation is much like touring, where bands usually do not know what to expect from one club to the next.

"It's going to have a big education factor," Winslow said.

Learning to be flexible will be helpful when the ensemble performs at the Telluride Jazz Celebration, which has a diverse audience, he said. Jazz X-Press is scheduled to play more than one set at the four-day festival, and Winslow hopes the group will get a chance to play a variety of compositions.

Watching how other musicians work also serves as a learning experience, because with backstage passes students will be able to talk to other musicians, Marrufo said. Jazz is known for its roots in oral tradition, and students will have the opportunity to hear stories from many of the artists that they learn about in their classes.

"The experience will be educational, spiritual and social," he said.

With such a large ensemble, good social skills are a necessity.

Tanner Johns, a senior music education major, plays lead alto saxophone for Jazz X-Press and depends on his band members to add to the learning experience, Johns said.

In order for the group to sound professional, all the members have to be committed, he said.

"You just can't miss class," Johns said.

An experienced director is also a big factor in the educational experience, he said. Johns hopes to go into teaching and is learning rehearsal techniques from Winslow. He appreciates Winslow's balance between constructive criticism and encouragement.

Spending so much time with each other creates a strong bond among the group and makes performing fun, Johns said.

"Every day is an adventure," he said.

Winslow sees the trip to Telluride as a big adventure, but the accomplishment reflects well on the university, he said.

"It's a feather in the cap for the whole college."