Jazz Ensemble Puts on First Outdoor Performance of the Season at Jazz Night

On stage, colored lights reflected off of shiny saxophones, trumpets and drum snares as bundled up students crowded the Montview lawn Friday evening. Jazz music echoed throughout campus, drawing students out of their dorms and transporting them into the likes of a 1920s Jazz club. 

“Jazz music makes the rest of the world just disappear. You forget all about it,” Joseph Henson, director of the Liberty University Jazz ensemble, said. “These musicians aren’t out there thinking about politics or controversy or the weight of this world…jazz music provides an escape, like a prelude to heaven.”

Student Activities’ Jazz Night was the Liberty Jazz Ensemble’s first full-band, outdoor performance of 2020, with a shockingly large turnout for a brisk 55-degree night. The evening was filled with thrilling jazz tunes – from Benny Goodman to Count Bassie – and was strategically built on traditional jazz style.  

“Jazz used to be the craze of the culture; students would line up outside of Carnegie Hall to listen to jazz musicians for hours,” Henson said. “This music is still alive…it is so important to us to share this tradition with students who don’t know what jazz music is all about or have never truly sat down and listened to it.” 

Preparation for an event like Jazz Night is no small feat. From music selection to tedious rehearsals, an abundance of time is dedicated to creating a night of musical enjoyment.

“There are several hours that eventually turn into days that go into rehearsal time for students, both collectively and at-home,” Henson said. “Jazz music is really its own language… there’s the ‘what’ you play and the ‘how’ you play it, and each student musician is responsible for both elements.”

The jazz tunes that are selected can either make or break a performance, and choosing just the right combination of songs is necessary in putting together a cohesive night of music.

“Variety, quality, tradition—this is how I go about selecting the set of music the ensemble performs,” Henson said. “I always choose things that are connected to the traditional jazz repertoire. I include music from traditional big band swing music to other styles like Latin, jazz, ballads.”

For Henson, directing jazz music has opened the door not only for creativity and passion but for him to step into a mentorship role for participating students.

Pianist Ciara Fitzgerald grew up playing traditional songs in church and focused mainly on classical piano, but she stepped out on a whim and joined the Liberty Jazz Ensemble this year.

“Playing jazz music has taught me how complex the Lord’s nature is,” Fitzgerald said. “He shows us this through things like music: how each beautiful instrument has the ability to make a different sound that comes together and creates something so uniform.”

The ensemble uses their individual talents and passion for Jazz music to entertain students with events like Jazz Night, ultimately giving God the glory.

“We really follow Mr. Henson’s lead in giving our performances over to the Lord,” Fitzgerald said. “That is really the end goal: Christ’s glorification… we aren’t performing for ourselves, or to be seen by others, we are here to share light through music.”

Jessica Green is a Feature Reporter. Follow her on Twitter at @jessigreen0.