尝补飞谤别苍肠别鈥檚 has now brought home DownBeat Awards 34 times over the past four-plus decades.聽This is the second time in three years the program has won two awards in the same year. Encarnaci贸n credits the students’ commitment to a wide range of music.

鈥淭he students we get here are smart, they鈥檙e curious, they like to explore,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o, we bring them different kinds of music, and they鈥檙e in, they鈥檙e engaged. For me, it鈥檚 seeing how they grow, how they engage with the art. That鈥檚 the reward.鈥�

The work of faculty across the Conservatory, Encarnaci贸n added, is a collective effort that shows up in the stellar performances of music students both individually and in ensembles.聽

鈥淭he DownBeat Awards speak to the talent, teamwork, and collegiality that makes the Conservatory thrive,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is an honor and an inspiration to work with everyone involved in this process. Winning two awards in the same year again demonstrates enormous program depth.鈥�

For Encarnaci贸n鈥檚 contest entry in the Latin Group category, he submitted three charts from a performance during the 2024 Fred Sturm Jazz Celebration. Students were studying a different musical genre that included Afro-Cuban and Venezuelan rhythms.聽

鈥淭hese are very challenging to play, especially for the rhythm section,鈥� he said.聽

For Darling鈥檚 Jazz Ensemble entry, she submitted three contemporary charts that聽are challenging to play聽and require excellent musicianship from every member of the ensemble. In addition, they call for significant improvisation.

鈥淚t is fun to work on compositions like this because improvisation is woven throughout the fabric of the music,聽and it is rewarding for everyone to hear how it聽all comes together,鈥� she said.

The awards speak to the high level of consistency that has been built into a jazz program with an impressive track record dating back to the 1970s. Now led by Encarnaci贸n, it is among the best undergraduate jazz programs in the country.

The聽DownBeatAwards, now in their 46th year and featured in the magazine’s June edition, are among the highest honors in jazz education.聽Pertl called it 鈥渦nprecedented鈥� for two 麻豆影院 ensembles to win top awards in the same year.

鈥淓ven more amazing is that with these two awards, it means that 麻豆影院 has garnered six top DownBeat Awards in the past six years,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat is a remarkable run.鈥�

尝补飞谤别苍肠别鈥檚 jazz program has now brought home DownBeat Awards 32 times over the past four-plus decades.聽Winning two in the same year 鈥渄emonstrates enormous program depth,鈥� Pertl said.聽

The Latin Group award came for a concert performance delivered by the Jazz Band in the fall as part of 尝补飞谤别苍肠别鈥檚 annual Fred Sturm Jazz Celebration Weekend. It featured music from Venezuela, Africa, and Cuba.

鈥淲e went into it with a lot of different concepts about how to approach the music, how to feel the music,鈥� Encarnaci贸n said. 鈥淭his is music that鈥檚 coming from different parts of the world. What was amazing was the response from the students. They embraced everything about it.鈥�

The winning entry in the Large Jazz Ensemble category, meanwhile, came from a series of performances from LUJE last spring and this fall. They featured contemporary music compositions that required a lot of improvisation.

鈥淭he passion, the execution, it was there,鈥� Darling said.

The awards speak to the high-level of consistency that has been built in a jazz program with an impressive track record dating back to the 1970s. Now led by Encarnaci贸n, the program has been intentional in diversifying its repertoire in recent years, exploring sounds from around the globe.

鈥淭he students we get here are smart, they鈥檙e curious, they like to explore. So, we bring them different kinds of music, and they鈥檙e in, they鈥檙e engaged.”
– Jose Encarnaci贸n, director of jazz studies

鈥淭he creative process is the most important thing,鈥� Encarnaci贸n said. 鈥淭he students we get here are smart, they鈥檙e curious, they like to explore. So, we bring them different kinds of music, and they鈥檙e in, they鈥檙e engaged. For me, it鈥檚 seeing how they grow, how they engage with the art. That is so rewarding for all of us, and it is an honor for our students to be recognized for the work they are doing.鈥�

Darling said the work of faculty across the Conservatory is a collective effort that shows up in the stellar performances of music students both individually and in ensembles. The DownBeat Awards speak to the talent, teamwork, and collegiality that makes the Conservatory thrive.

鈥淥ur jazz faculty are incredible musicians and jazz educators,鈥� Darling said. 鈥淪tudents learn so much from them in their private lessons, classes, and in combos, and that is the foundation of the work we are doing in the jazz ensembles. Doing it together, especially after the pandemic, there鈥檚 a heightened appreciation and joy in the collaborative creative process.鈥�

Take a listen

• Hear the 麻豆影院 University Jazz Ensemble:聽 补苍诲听
• Hear the聽麻豆影院 University Jazz Band (Latin Jazz):

Joy is in concert at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 4 in Memorial Chapel.

Teague and the Jazz Ensemble, LU Jazz Faculty, and LUPE (麻豆影院 University Percussion Ensemble) will be in concert at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 5, also in Memorial Chapel. Tickets for each performance are $25-$30, .

This will mark the first fully in-person Jazz Weekend since 2019. The weekend was limited to the 麻豆影院 community last year because of pandemic restrictions.

鈥淲e鈥檙e really excited to have all the students back from the high schools and middle schools,鈥� said Jos茅 L. Encarnaci贸n, associate professor of music and director of jazz studies.

Encarnaci贸n and Patty Darling, instructor of music and director of the award-winning LU Jazz Ensemble, together with Jillian Johnson, director of conservatory programming, are organizing this year’s聽Jazz Weekend.聽聽There is huge enthusiasm from the 18 schools that are bringing their bands to campus, Darling said.

鈥淔red intended this to be a non-competitive festival,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he focus is on learning. There are no trophies. Nobody wins. It is, just come in, learn jazz language 补苍诲听style, and explore improvisation.鈥�

The weekend will include a focus on women in jazz, from composers to performers. Continuing Sturm鈥檚 tradition, 麻豆影院聽senior Lucy Croasdale, a saxophone student, and Darling have created聽new, free jazz聽ensemble compositions聽that have been distributed聽to all participating schools.聽

There is a buzz about the Samara Joy performance slotted for Friday night. She followed up her winning the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International聽Jazz Vocal Competition with the 2021 release of a self-titled debut album,聽backed by the Pasquale Grasso Trio.聽She was then signed by Verve Records, and her Verve debut, Linger Awhile, was released last month.

鈥淪he鈥檚 just amazing,鈥� Encarnaci贸n said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 like 22 and people are already comparing her to Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald. Those are big, big names. She comes from a family of musicians and she鈥檚 drawing on so many influences. At that early age, to be at that level with her control, her range, her maturity in her singing, it鈥檚 just incredible.鈥�

Teague, meanwhile, brings a different sound than what鈥檚 been featured at Jazz Weekend in the past.

Encarnaci贸n first met Teague, head of steelpan studies and professor of music at Northern Illinois University, during an online music conference in the midst of the pandemic.

鈥淚 was completely blown away by the way he plays that instrument,鈥� Encarnaci贸n said.

Jazz Weekend organizers are working to place a camera above Teague so the audience can see his hand movements on an overhead screen during the performance.

鈥淭he band is loving his music,鈥� Darling said of the Jazz Ensemble rehearsals. 鈥淗e sent four charts to rehearse and his music is beautiful. It鈥檚 some of the most rhythmically, melodically connected music I鈥檝e ever heard. 鈥� It鈥檚 challenging but it鈥檚 so much fun to play.鈥�