By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current
Those who like jazz and want to know about its history are encouraged to attend the program “Traditional Jazz: A Historical Perspective of Jazz” to be presented at 2 p.m. on June 25 at the Geneseo Public Library.
John Cooper, a jazz artist and composer, is the feature and his 45-minute presentation will include jazz music interspersed with a brief history of jazz techniques used by the various instruments. Those who may not even like jazz, may enjoy the program.
Cooper was a professor of music at Western Illinois University with a Master’s Degree in Music Composition from Bowling Green State University and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Music Composition form New York University.
He has performed as principal trumpet with the Marquette Symphony and has his own jazz quartet. He also is a composer, releasing his first solo recording “Watching for Watchung Plaza,” which received critical acclaim from the Detroit Free Press. He has dedicated much of his time and talents to the Western Illinois University Performing Arts Society by writing and composing shows for the Youth Performing Arts Series.
His philosophy for playing trumpet is to develop an effortless approach, without tension to enable the student to make progress safely and quickly, Cooper said.
The upcoming presentation will engage listeners through playing pieces common to the New Orleans era of jazz. Cooper also will describe the role of each instrument in the ensemble, and a demonstration of the various techniques used by the different instruments played in jazz will be given.
The audience is encouraged to ask questions of any of the musicians during the lecture portion of the performance.
Jazz is best enjoyed in a live performance; and audiences commonly applaud soloists and clap rhythmic ally during performances. In this way the audience “feels” the music.
The presentation at the Geneseo Library seeks to develop a connection with the audience members and help them understand the special nature of Jazz. Traditional jazz is timeless, and its appeal can span generations.
The program at the library is made possible through a grant from the Illinois Humanities Councill, a state agency. Illinois Humanities is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Illinois General Assembly, through the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, as well as by contributions from individuals , foundations and corporations.
