SDSU Jazz Ensemble Tours in Eastern Europe

The SDSU Jazz Ensemble participated in a week long concert tour and series of educational events in the country of Montenegro during spring break, expanding the knowledge of jazz as a world music.

“For a college jazz band, it is about as close as you can get to rockstar status,” said the Director of Jazz Studies Bill Yeager. “Every night was a full house and after each concert there would be a standing ovation.”

The band performed five concerts from April 2 - 6 in different cities all around Montenegro. Often the concerts would be hosted by local politicians and the students would go to dinner and meet with the politicians before their concerts, said Jazz Lecturer Karl Soukup.

The tour also involved workshops at a local high school to practice and get to know some of the Montenegrin students. After one of the bands performances, they met up with some of the students at a club and had a jam session from 1 to 4 a.m., said junior lead alto saxophonist Chaz Cabrera.

“It was a huge connection and they did not let down for a single second,” said Cabrera. “That’s the amazing thing about jazz, the communication and the connection that happens between different individuals. You can be from all the way around the world and you can still communicate through the power of music.”

The tour also included guest performer Kristin Korb from Denmark, who plays the bass and sings. Cabrera said that Korb would help students understand the power of telling a story through music and thinking about the meaning behind the melody or lyrics.

“She was an inspiration to us all, and her motivation is what kept the drive going,” said Cabrera.

Soukup said that one of the points he wanted to communicate to the Montenegrin public was that jazz is a world music. “It’s no longer just America’s music anymore, it is a type of world music now and it’s being played all over the world,” said Yeager.

Yeager said that throughout the whole trip there was not a moment where anything went wrong. He said that it was almost as if the students were pinching themselves because of how well they were received in Montenegro.

“It was so much fun to make music with everyone and get to know the guys a bit,” said Kristen Korb. “They were not only outstanding musicians, but first-class ambassadors for the music, themselves, SDSU and the U.S. They should be really proud of themselves.”