University Jazz Bands

Get a 20% discount when purchasing to four or more Music Department events sold through the Cal Poly Ticket Office. Cal Poly faculty and staff receive 20% discount for any Music Department event sold through the ticket office. Prices are inclusive of all fees.

Cal Poly Jazz Combos Showcase

Friday, Nov. 15, 2024
7:30 p.m., Davidson Music Center, Room 218

Cal Poly's jazz combos will present a fall showcase. Four jazz combos will perform, and each will play a set of well-known jazz standards, contemporary works, pop songs and original pieces composed by students. Dylan Johnson directs the combos, which will also perform for the Fall Jazz Concert on Nov. 21.

Free

Cal Poly Fall Jazz Concert: Sounds of Rhythm

Jamaal Baptiste
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Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024
7:30 p.m., Spanos Theatre

The Cal Poly Fall Jazz Concert will be on a Thursday this year. The concert is titled “Sounds of Rhythm,” and will introduce new director Jamaal Baptiste.

Baptiste will lead Cal Poly’s University Jazz Band and Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and Dylan Johnson will direct the four Cal Poly Jazz Combos.

The Vocal Jazz Ensemble will sing a set which includes “Fly Me to the Moon,” arranged by Rosana Eckert; “So Danco Samba,” arranged by Roger Emerson, and an R&B and soul-influenced arrangement of the Bee Gees’ “How Deep Is Your Love” by Matthew Chalmers.

The Jazz Combos will perform a mix of jazz standards and original student arrangements, and the University Jazz Band will feature big band arrangements by Bob Mintzer, Maria Schneider, Frank Mantooth, Gordon Goodwin and other renowned composers.

Baptiste joined the Music Department in September. He is a pianist, composer, arranger and ethnomusicologist. Born and raised in San Nicolas, Aruba, he began taking piano lessons at age eight, and quickly became comfortable performing a wide range of music. He attended Indiana University where he earned a Master of Arts in ethnomusicology, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in jazz studies. He was a jazz fellow at Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, and has been a guest artist and clinician at various colleges, festivals and clubs throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Tickets ($22 general, $12 students and Jazz Federation members)

Cal Poly Winter Jazz Concert: Sounds of Groove

Friday, Feb. 21, 2025
7:30 p.m., Performing Arts Center

The concert will feature performances by various jazz ensembles, including the University Jazz Band and Vocal Jazz Ensemble, directed by Jamaal Baptiste; and the Jazz Combos, directed by Dylan Johnson.

Tickets ($17 and $22 general, $12 students and Jazz Federation members)