A dozen college and high school choral groups from 7 states descend upon Rochelle - Flagg Township High Schoolthis weekend for the 3rd annual Vertical Voices Vocal Jazz Festival. So what’s bringing those students and an acclaimed jazz quartet together in the Hub City?
Cory Jones is director of choral activities at the high school. He says there’s a long history of vocal jazz at the school, and groups from Rochelle have attended many such festivals over the years. Jones says that experience and his acquaintance with Greg Jasperse, member of the then-new group, Vertical Voices, started the wheels turning ... and the new high school built a decade ago provides an excellent venue.
“You know, it was always something I thought, I wish we could do that, and at our old building, we couldn’t do that -- we just didn’t have the facilities. And we had been in this building, I don’t know, about eight or nine years, and it’s like, it’s time. So I called up Greg Jasperse and said, 'I got a crazy idea,” he says.
Jones says he wanted to make the festival as educational as possible for all concerned. So it offers something that he didn’t – and still doesn’t -- see at other such festivals.
“When a group is done performing on stage, they get a clinic on the stage in front of the audience. Well, who’s our audience? The other students who are participating. So as they’re sitting there they can think, oh, I was thinking the same thing, or hmm, I never thought of that,” Jones says.
Kerry Marsh is one of the members of Vertical Voices. He’s also much in demand as a jazz composer, arranger and clinician. He says all the members of the group enjoy performing, but the clinics are particularly gratifying.
“To see students engaging in the type of music that the four of us have all made the centerpiece of our lives, and that we see they’re enjoying that, obviously that gives us a thrill to know that, that thing that we’ve invested so much of our lives in, you know, has some value to the next generation,” Marsh says.
Julia Dollison seconds that thought. Named best Collegiate Jazz Vocalist by Downbeat Magazine in 2000, she had a busy professional career even before Vertical Voices was formed. She still does, in her own concerts and leading her college ensembles. It’s rewarding, and hectic. But, she says, working with the students is rejuvenating.
“It’s exciting,” Dollison says. ”It’s just different every time, and we know the students cheer really loudly, and have their favorite moments. So we look forward to that, just making that connection and it reminds us to have our youthful vigor about ourselves when we sing.”
The students are gratified as well. Niki Dobbs is a senior at Rochelle High School and a member of one of the school’s jazz choirs, Midnight Voices. She says past festivals have been amazing, and possibly, life-changing.
“It’s just great to get feedback from people from people who are professionally singing jazz music. Definitely I’ve given more consideration to going into music in the future because of this festival,” she says.
Brandon Byrd is also a senior and member of Midnight Voices. He says that, beyond the technical advice the clinics provide, Vertical Voices offers an important lesson for the young singers and, for that matter, everyone.
“One great thing that people can take away from the festival is that you don’t even need lyrics to make the songs have feeling and meaning, and to actually bring out the emotions in your audience,” he says.
Jones says the festival isn’t just for the participants, and the community seems to realize that.
“It’s evidenced by The City of Rochelle being one of our sponsors, as well as the Chamber of Commerce. They both have gone above and beyond what I ever could have thought to support this festival,”Jones says.
And so, for a day, Rochelle will be the Hub City of vocal jazz.
The open clinics will go on all day Saturday at the high school. The festival will finish Saturday night with a public concert featuring Vertical Voices in the school’s auditorium.
