We’re back-to-back national champions…but we’re pretty good at jazz, too! 

The UConn men’s basketball team may have made headlines for upholding their National Championship title in April, but as the UConn Jazz Ensemble reminded us this Sunday, Huskies excel both on and off the court. 

Under the direction of Professor John Mastroianni, the 20-member ensemble transformed the nearly full von der Mehden Recital Hall into a smoky night club, a big band ballroom and even a lonesome western prairie with their diverse repertoire. 

The group started off strong with an invigorating rendition of Paul White’s “Just Improbable,” a peppy track that allowed for almost every section to share the limelight. Their second piece, “African Skies” by Michael Brecker, featured tenor saxophonists Michael Farina and Noah Lafond, as well as Jack Sherman on guitar. The performers’ bright, sparkling tone was indeed reminiscent of a blazing desert sun, or perhaps a clear blue horizon over the grasslands.  

The third number, Duke Ellington’s “In a Mellow Tone” is based on the 1917 song “Rose Room,” which was recorded in 1932 at the height of America’s Swing Era. Today, it is known as a “jazz standard,” or a composition considered so representative of the genre that it is almost universally known by musicians and listeners alike. With so many different interpretations in circulation, it can be difficult to stand out, yet the Jazz Ensemble passed the challenge with flying colors. Saxophonists Aidan Caron and Matthew Calorossi did an excellent job of putting their own spin on the piece through improvisation, while the enthusiasm and intensity of the trumpet, trombone, bass and drum sections succeeded in putting the “big” in “big band.” 

After another jaunty, driving track, “Ding Dong Ding” by Bob Brookemeyer, Mastroianni announced that the next three pieces would all be original compositions or arrangements by members of the Jazz Ensemble. As a concertgoer who is otherwise uninvolved in UConn’s music programs, I greatly enjoyed tuning in to the compositional aspect of music-making. The composers’ pride in their work truly imbues every note with passion. 

The first of these pieces was Farina’s arrangement of Manuel de Falla’s “Will O’ the Wisp.” This ominous, moody number was full of suspense and had me on the edge of my seat. Farina’s arrangement was followed by an original composition by Mastroianni himself, written four years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic, appropriately titled, “My Zoom Room.” Its hurried, rapid tempo perfectly encapsulates the feeling of being cooped up for months on end. 

My personal favorite song of the evening proved to be Aidan Caron’s version of the cowboy anthem, “Home on the Range.” Instead of naming the song outright in his introduction, Mastroianni challenged the audience to identify it themselves. I recognized the tune almost instantly, though the stylistic changes imposed by the jazz genre provided a refreshingly unique take on a classic song. 

The Jazz Ensemble concluded the program with another Duke Ellington jazz standard, “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” after which Mastroianni wrapped up the evening by thanking his students, the audience and the Director of Jazz Studies Earl MacDonald, who was also in attendance. 

“We appreciate you spreading the word…about the great things that are happening here at the University of Connecticut. And yeah, we’re back-to-back national champions, but as Earl and I say… ‘we’re pretty good at jazz, too!’” he said, eliciting cheers and smiles from around the hall.