Jazzing Up Greater College Park

The Clarice to host monthly Musical Jam at The Hall CP.

By Sala Levin ’10 | Maryland Today

Starting tonight, The Hall CP is about to get a lot more hep.

A new monthly series called Jazz Jam launches this evening, inviting students, faculty, staff, College Park residents and anyone with an ear for musical improvisation to bring their instrument–or just their appreciation for the genre–to The Hall CP to find their groove.

“A really important part of the jazz community is the opportunity for people to come out and try their skills, hear other people playing and talk to musicians at different stages of their careers,” said Austin Sposato, artistic planning coordinator for music at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. “We’re excited to host (a jam) in College Park.”

The last Wednesday of each month, saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed will lead the house band for an hour-long set. Then, starting at 8:30 p.m., “everyone else can join in,” said Sposato. Musicians visiting for performances at The Clarice may also participate; tonight, trumpeter Brandon Woody will take part before bringing his band, UPENDO, to the Kogod Theatre tomorrow night.

Sposato was inspired to start the jam sessions by similar events during his time as a college student at the University of Akron. “There was a really strong jazz scene in Akron, and there was a jam that everyone would go out to every single week on a Wednesday night,” he said.

The gatherings weren’t just essential for community-building, Sposato said, but also taught students the unofficial rules of life as a working musician. Knowing when to take a solo and when to stay in the background, perfecting jazz standards and networking with other musicians all made the meet-ups “on-the-job training,” he said.

Read the full story in Maryland Today. 

Photo of Elijah Jamal Balbed by Nick Moreland Photography.