The University of Minnesota’s Jazz Ensemble 1 recorded eight beginner-level songs on Thursday for its first recording back since taking a break in 2023. 

Typically, the band only performs live, but once a year the jazz band has a studio recording session. The Jazz Ensemble 1 typically has a recording session every year, but a studio recording was not possible last year due to scheduling conflicts.

Six of these songs were arranged and composed by Director Dean Sorenson. The pieces are intended for use by middle school and high school bands as references to how the songs sound. 

When it comes to recording in a studio rather than playing live for an audience, Sorenson said there are some key challenges. 

Sorenson said the band’s precision has to be much stronger when recording than when playing live.

“For performance, once it happens, it just sort of goes out into space,” Sorenson said. “So even though the music is technically easy to play, it’s a real challenge for the students to be able to do it, and it’s a really good training for what they’ll have to do out in the professional world.”

Sorenson composed and arranged six of the recording session’s eight songs. He said his composing process usually starts with a general idea he wants to get across. From there, he tries to write down as much as he can.

Given his work involves writing reference music for middle and high school bands, Sorenson said he tries to include musical concepts he wants taught in schools. 

“I would like to be able to help the teachers teach certain concepts, whether it’s a particular style or a particular harmony or scale,” Sorenson said.

Sorenson said his favorite part of being jazz band director for the jazz band is the chance to meet and instruct new students every year. He said it keeps things fresh from year to year.

“Everybody brings a different skill set to the table, and everybody brings a different background to the table and it’s kept me very interested in music just so that I can at least try to keep up with what the kids are doing,” Sorenson said.

Spencer Ainza, a third-year drummer, said it was his first recording session with the University’s jazz band as he had been in another jazz band his first year and there was no session last year.

Ainza is a percussion performance major at the University and said he particularly enjoys jazz ensemble because it gives him a chance to play the drumset since orchestral music uses different percussion instruments like the timpani. 

“This is really fun where you can groove and that’s really the only chance I get to play that,” Ainza said.

Some students in the band have the opportunity to write for performances. Ainza’s own arrangement of the Miles Davis song “On Green Dolphin Street” was performed at the jazz ensemble’s October concert.

Though four hours were set aside for the recording, fourth-year alto saxophone player Joshua Taylor said the recording only ended up taking around two hours. 

Taylor said the band was able to focus and work together, which helped them get the recordings done much faster than expected.

“We were out in two hours and everyone was dialed in and it was a lot of fun,” Taylor said. “We barely had to redo anything, and when you keep cranking out stuff over and over again. That’s a pretty good feeling when everyone’s on the same page like that.” 

While Taylor said he did not find the music to be particularly technically interesting, it was fun to play. He added playing the music reminded him of when he was playing similar music in middle school and high school. 

This is Sorenson’s 25th year leading the band. He said a major goal of his in the future is to record an album of completely original music composed by students and faculty members.