Professional musicians work with Shaker Jazz Ensemble

A trio of professional jazz musicians, including pianist Brian Axford, saxophonist Jeff Nania, bassist Ed Tourge and drummer Gene Garone, led a jam session with student musicians from the Shaker High School Jazz Ensemble on Thursday, February 11, teaching them the basics of an important characteristic of the genre: improvisation. The musicians shared ideas that encouraged students to find their own voice in improvisation, saying, “The more you do it, the more articulate you become; the more it becomes a language for you.”

The Albany Musicians Union applied for a grant that funded the opportunity for students to work with such high caliber musicians. Every member of the jazz ensemble had a chance to improvise on jazz standards, and received encouragement from the artists, with Mr. Axford telling student musicians to be fearless: “If you don’t go for it, you’ll never do anything awesome.”

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