Jazz Lab Ensemble to host a romantic concert for Valentine’s Day weekend

Emily Hetterscheidt
Sat, 11 Feb 2017 20:02:56 +0000
Arts & Life, Music, alternative valentines day, barbara rosene, harry james ghost band, jazz lab ensemble, jim powers, osu school of music, valentine's day

The Ohio State Jazz Lab Ensemble practices for its Valentine’s Day Concert. Credit: Emily Hetterscheidt | Lantern reporter

For those students looking for a free way to impress their Valentine this weekend, Ohio State’s School of Music might have the answer.

OSU’s Jazz Lab Ensemble will be hosting a Valentine’s Day-themed concert featuring vocalist Barbara Rosene and pianist Dave Powers on Sunday at ?3 p.m. in Weigel Auditorium. The Jazz Lab Ensemble is one of three large jazz ensembles in the School of Music, also known as big bands.

Powers is a piano professor at OSU, and he will be performing a solo with Rosene, whom he met while performing on a television show in Cincinnati. Jim Masters, lecturer in jazz studies and jazz and trombone instructor at OSU, will direct the ensemble

Rosene sings with the Harry James Ghost Band, which is a tribute to the famous World War Two era trumpet player. The concert will be well-suited for Valentine’s Day, as Rosene will be performing more romantic pieces that would be sung to loved ones leaving for war, Masters said.

Masters is looking forward to people being able to experience jazz in person, because he believes it has a more powerful effect than listening to the music at home.

The professor has a large range of experience with jazz music, as he has played trombone for about 56 years and has met and played with big names in the jazz world. He said he is excited about the recent revival in jazz and the growing interest that younger people have in the genre.

“It’s as American as the flag,” Masters said. “I mean, it’s our music.”

Tiana Ninic, second-year in music education, plays trombone in the band and said she is very excited for the concert. Ninic said there are so many different styles of jazz that many people do not realize that they like jazz until they hear it. She said the style gives her the opportunity to groove while she is playing, and that is different from any other type of music.

“I can’t feel this kind of music in concert or classical,” Ninic said. “This is my style.”

Following the concert is a jazz vocal master class hosted by Powers and Rosene in Weigel Hall room 117.

The concert is free to the public and a BuckID is not required for entry.