Students produce new jazz CD, 'Sax Sounds'
Released: May 16, 2008
Sometimes musicians are satisfied with sticking with the status quo. They avoid taking risks in their genre for fear of failure or ridicule. For University of Wisconsin-Whitewater juniors Patrick Callen, Alex Lopez, Cameron Behl and Kate Esselman, however, experimentation is the standard for their new contemporary music compact disc, "Sax Sounds."
These four students are all part of the Euphoria Saxophone Quartet, a group mentored by Matthew Sintchak, professor of music at UW-Whitewater. They have been playing together since their freshmen year at the university in September 2005.
"Ever since Dr. Sintchak put all of us into a group as freshmen, we have meshed quite well," Lopez said.
On their upcoming recording, the quartet will explore new sounds and techniques by replaying songs by contemporary jazz artists like Dana Wilson, Steven Galante and Jacob Veldhuis.
"By doing this CD, we have been able to gain more knowledge and practice with extended saxophone techniques that are not normally used in the classical repertoire," Callen said. "This process will also help us better understand the genre, as well as the new literature that accompanies this process."
"Sax Sounds" is complete and has been sent to the Diskfaktory in California for professional reproduction; it will be available without charge by the end of May. "The purpose of this project was to gain an acquaintance with some contemporary music for saxophone quartet," Sintchak said. "The subsequent CD recording has been produced to merely document their work. The quartet will just be handing them out to people in the music department, their friends or anyone that asks for one."
For more information on the Euphoria Saxophone Quartet, contact Sintchak at 262-472-5710.
- LeQuez Spearman,spearmanlt22@uww.edu
