Gallery • 11 Photos

Anna Greenlee

The Jazz Ambassadors held a concert in Arganbright Auditorium on April 18. The 19-member ensemble featured a vocalist or jazz combo in various songs, and their performance was accompanied by a video presentation.

The United States Army Field Band’s Jazz Ambassadors visited West High for a clinic and a concert with West’s Jazz Ensemble on Friday, April 18. Their clinic started at 5:00 p.m. and the concert began at 7:00 p.m. in the Arganbright Auditorium. 

Jazz Ensemble opened the concert with an almost completely new set of music after ending their competition season at the Iowa Jazz Championships on April 8. 

Their new songs are “Sabor de Cuba” by Victor Lopez and “Sing Sang Sung” by Gordon Goodwin. They brought back “Young and Foolish” by Albert Hague and arranged by Frank Mantooth from competition season.

Retired West High band director Rich Medd played the trombone as a guest soloist during “Sing Sang Sung.”

After Jazz Ensemble’s opening act, the Jazz Ambassadors played an extensive program of songs by famous jazz musicians as well as previous and current members of the US Army Field Band.

The Jazz Ambassadors is the United States Army’s premier big band, also called “America’s Big Band.” Ever since its creation in 1969, this 19-member ensemble has traveled the country and the world to perform jazz, what they describe as “America’s original art form.”

Their performances aim to connect the American people with their Army, tell the Army story and honor soldiers and veterans. They play big band standards as well as original compositions and arrangements by members of the Jazz Ambassadors, past and present.

They also prioritize music education. They post tutorials, tips and other drills for a variety of instruments on the US Army Field Band YouTube page, and their original compositions are public and free to download on their jazz education initiative, Perspectives.

Before the concert, the Jazz Ambassadors held a clinic with Jazz Ensemble where they offered tips on improvisation, talked about what it’s like to be a professional big band and played together. Some students took solos while playing with the Jazz Ambassadors.

Master Sergeant Johnathan Epley is the Jazz Ambassadors group leader who manages the rhythm section and the vocalist. He also plays guitar with the Ambassadors. 

“We talked about improvisation. We talked about ways to work on getting better and feeling more comfortable expressing yourself and playing. We talked about what it’s like to be in our group and traveling with a big band, we played some music together,” he said, “It was a lot of interacting, a lot of working on improvisation.”

Gallery • 6 Photos

Anna Greenlee

Jazz Ensemble opened the concert with "Sabor de Cuba."

After the concert, Jazz Ensemble drummer Derick Doresca ’26 said, “[The clinic] was really good…We just got to jam with them, and they taught us how to improvise, very inspirational. They’re all very nice, very good players. Their drummer is really, really good. He shared some wise words of wisdom.”

 “It meant so much to see the kids enjoying it and being inspired by what they saw on stage today. I think they started to realize midway through their set like, ‘Wow, we got to open up for them and share the same stage,’ so just that experience of witnessing and experiencing a live band like that up close, it makes all the work worth it,” Jazz Ensemble band director Brian Zeglis said.

“I think your band director is doing an excellent job just working with the students and it’s obvious that they’re putting in a lot of work, and it shows in their performance,” Epley said.

After leaving West, the Jazz Ambassadors continue their current tour across the Midwest. 

Jazz Ensemble’s next performance will be on May 23 for the Friday Night Concert series, a series of concerts on the Ped Mall Stage featuring local musicians. Jazz Ensemble’s concert will also feature West’s other two jazz bands, Jazz Collective and Jazz Lab, as well as West Liberty High’s Varsity Jazz Band.