Marine recruitment takes different approach

Traveling all the way from California with Valentine’s wishes, Sgt. Michael Kerr, a 2015 Liberty alumni, came to campus Feb. 14 as a guest with the Marine Corps Jazz Combo to perform for his former classmates and the Lynchburg community.

The Jazz Combo concert began at 7:30 p.m. in the School of Music Concert Hall. Around 250 people were in attendance ranging from students, to faculty, to people from the local area. Festively dressed couples were easy to spot as they enjoyed the concert for a Valentine’s date night.

While the Marines have come and recruited in the past, this was the first time any of their groups have performed at Liberty. For Kerr however, the campus was familiar territory.

“It is great to see the changes on campus as it is updated …the atmosphere is the same, but the students are still the best part of Liberty. It is just a wonderful environment for students and I know it was for me as well, so this feels like home,” Kerr said.

Kerr graduated from Liberty with a degree in trumpet performance and a teaching licensure and joined the Marine Corps that fall. He was then stationed at Miramar Marine Corps Base in San Diego, California, with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

While at Liberty, he participated in the School of Music Marching Band, Wind Symphony, Jazz Ensemble, Brass Quintet and the pit orchestra for several operas at the Tower Theater. Out of those groups, Michael Kerr said he loved the camaraderie in the Marching Band but was stretched most in the Jazz Ensemble. All of his experiences helped prepare him for life in the Marines.

The dedication, discipline, and musicianship he learned have come in handy on a daily basis and this performance was no exception. While the Jazz Combo began rehearsing two days before they started touring and had the opportunity to perform two shows as a group, Michael Kerr practiced with the group for the first time only a few hours before the concert Wednesday evening.

Dr. Stephen Kerr, father of Michael Kerr and department chair of university bands and director of bands at Liberty, said getting musicians together who have most likely never played together before, received their music only a few weeks before, rehearsed once or twice and then perform is a very distinctive attribute of the Jazz Combo and all of the Marine bands.

“It is almost unheard of, and yet they are still so good,” Stephen Kerr said.

The Jazz Combo held a clinic at 5:30 p.m. as a preview to the concert and to give students a chance to ask questions. The clinic focused on showing the audience how jazz revolves around improvisation. Students were then encouraged to attend the evening performance to see the techniques put to use and more of the creativity of the Jazz Combo musicians on display.

During the concert, Gunnery Sgt. Justin Knuckles, the Jazz Combo director, introduced the musicians and the songs, which included a few Valentine’s selections. He highlighted that the focus of the evening was to display military composers with specifically a ‘50s-‘70s theme.

The Jazz Combo members consisted of Lance Cpl. Taylor McMannayway on drums, Sgt. Ben Tucker on bass, Sgt. Michael Boroski on electric guitar, Sgt. Ivan Arden on alto saxophone, Sgt. Madeline Young on baritone saxophone, Staff Sgt. Alan Phillips on trumpet and Knuckles on tenor saxophone.

In an interview, Staff Sgt. Justin Billingsly, music program specialist for the state of Virginia, pointed out that although the group is small, the sound is by no means small. With the seven Jazz Combo musicians, they were selected because they are some of the best in the program.

“When you have a group of individuals like that working towards the same goal you can accomplish whatever you want to,” Billingsly said. “Because of this, getting people to work together is key… only through this can they do so much.”

During the concert, Michael Kerr switched places with Phillips and played trumpet for “Stolen Moments” by Oliver Nelson with the rest of the group. He was greeted by cheers from the audience as soon as he stepped on stage.

Later in the evening, Michael Kerr played Boroski’s arrangement of “My Funny Valentine” by Richard Rodgers. Before he walked off stage, he blew a kiss to his wife Kelsey, who had flown in that afternoon from San Diego to attend the concert.

The Jazz Combo played nine pieces over the course of the evening such as “Shade of Jade,” “Strasberg St. Denis” and “Fly with the Wind.” Wowing the audience with their mastery of the complex rhythms and tasteful embellishments, the group stayed perfectly in sync the entire performance. At the conclusion of the concert, the group was given a standing ovation.

At the end of the evening, Knuckles said in an interview that he hopes the audience will have learned something new about the military musicians and heard something that they enjoyed.

“We are proud of what we do. We are proud to represent the Marine Corps and our country and we are glad to be here,” Knuckles said.

Michael Kerr encouraged seniors and juniors who are looking at jobs to consider all their options and not close any doors. He shared that for him, the Marines was not initially on his radar. It was a great opportunity that he would have missed had he not been open. If he could go back in time, he said he would definitely join the Marines again.

“Look at the caliber of musician, look at the caliber of young man right there,” Billingsly said, referring to Kerr. “It is absolutely incredible to get the privilege to get to work with musicians like that and there are 599 other (Marine) musicians just like him. That is the caliber of musician and caliber of citizen that we look for in our organization… Kerr, this young Marine, is a product of his environment here at Liberty, and we are definitely grateful.”

After Liberty, the Jazz Combo will continue their tour, stopping at places such as Old Dominion University, Ohio State University and Eastern Michigan University. They will continue holding classes and performing through March 1.

Michael Kerr will not continue with the group and flew back to his unit the morning after the performance.