In Celebration of the Human Voice - The Essential Musical Instrument

UNC Vocal Jazz Ensembles

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The award-winning jazz ensembles at the University of Northern Colorado offer students performance opportunities in big bands, combos, vocal jazz groups, and Latin jazz. With over 30 years of history, UNC's jazz ensembles have earned numerous accolades, including: More than 90 Downbeat Student Music Awards, GRAMMY nomination for the album Hot IV by Vocal Jazz Iand Numerous performances at national and international conferences including IAJE, Midwest Band, and others. More than 150 students participate in jazz ensembles. Although the groups are comprised primarily of music majors, they are open to all students by audition. Placement auditions are held at the beginning of the fall semester.

Vocal Jazz at UNC has a long tradition of national and international acclaim, and UNC's Vocal Jazz I was the first college vocal group to ever receive a Grammy nomination. Over the years, UNC groups including the Axidentals, Sus4, and Et Cetera have toured the U.S. and Europe, released multiple albums, commissioned and debuted pieces that have become standard repertoire, and have won numerous awards and accolades. Alumni of UNC's VJ groups are successful professional and studio singers, arrangers, educators, clinicians, and industry professionals. Northern Colorado Voices, UNC's current flagship group directed by Dana Landry, was named a regional finalist in the Harmony Sweepstakes, a national competition for professional a cappella groups.

In addition to the Northern Colorado Voices, there are three other Vocal Jazz Ensembles that vary in size and composition based on the strengths of the students involved. Groups perform diverse repertoire of jazz, Latin, and pop/rock/R&B styles including pieces by New York Voices, The Idea of North, The Real Group, Take Six, and other professional vocal groups. Vocal Jazz Ensembles rehearse twice a week and present one concert every semester. Each group enjoys a featured appearance at the UNC/Greeley Jazz Festival in April. UNC also produces the Jazz Singers Showcase, giving VJ Ensemble members a chance to shine by being featured on a solo song with a top rhythm section.

Discography

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UNC Vocal Jazz Ensembles : Hot IX: United Jazz Artists

Review: Master director and educator Gene Aitken of the famed University of Northern Colorado's Jazz Studies Program shows off three of his best groups on "Hot IX," mixed-voice jazz quintet the Axidentals, who are accompanied by a hot jazz band on 8 songs like Duke Ellington's "Caravan," Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al" and Kurt Weil's "Mack the Knife," also perform one nice a cappella cut, "Quiet Now." 3-men, 3-women a cappella ensemble Et Cetera then gives us nice covers of "Singing In The Rain," Harold Arlen's "If I Only Had a Brain" and Randy Crenshaw's "Scat Blues in C." All woman jazz quartet Sus 4 finishes with a hot accompanied cover of Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night in Tunisia," a moody a cappella cover of "For All We Know," and accompanied covers of "We" and Gloria Estefan's "Get On Your Feet." This is another strong, spirited collection from these 3 great UNC jazz ensembles.

Songlist: Bam Bam Bam, Caravan, A Sleeping Bee, Quiet Now, You're Nobody, Got to Get You Into My Life, You Can Call Me Al, Mack the Knife, Ray Idea, Singin' In The Rain, If I Only Had A Brain, Scat Blues in C, A Night In Tunisia, For All We Know, We, Get On Your Feet