Bringing jazz to class

Jazz Diversity Project links music with history

By Eric Lochridge, Journal staff | Tuesday, November 11, 2008

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To Jim Speirs and the rest of the Dakota Jazz Collective, jazz is more than music.

It’s also history.

“Jazz and American history are one in the same,” Speirs, a 1995 graduate of Rapid City Stevens High School, said. “Jazz is an American invention. It’s a unique American music that we have exported to the rest of the world.”

The development of jazz music is interwoven with the development of America in the 20th century through events such as World War II, the fall of segregation and the ensuing civil-rights struggle.

With that history in mind, the members of the Dakota Jazz Collective perform for the Jazz Diversity Project, a program developed by the Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Society that uses jazz to tell the story of America. 

“The story can be told through jazz music. We ultimately are trying to introduce people to this uniquely American music in a way they can relate to in school,” Speirs said.

The five-piece combo has performed the informative concerts for more than 17,000 middle and high school students over the past three years.

Now, the project is broadening to include adult audiences, as well, including a Rapid City performance Sunday, Nov. 9, for the Black Hills Chamber Music Society.

“Unless you’re a student, you might not know we’re doing this,” Speirs said. “A lot of adult fans don’t understand where this music came from.”

Although the Dakota Jazz Collective takes its primary inspiration from the hard-bop jazz made popular by artists such as Clifford Brown and Miles Davis, the performances feature a wide range of jazz styles, including early jazz, modern jazz and fusion elements.

“You’re going to hear a wide variety of styles,” he said.

The group consists of Speirs on trumpet, Matt Wallace on saxophone, Andrew Reinartz on double bass, Bobby Gripp on drums and Jeremy Hegg on keyboards. Hegg is well-known in the state for his performances with Black Hills musicians Hank Harris and Kenny Putnam. Wallace previously played for Maynard Ferguson, the famous trumpet player who wrote the theme from “Rocky.”

The Dakota Jazz Collective will present the Jazz Diversity Project to students at several schools in the Black Hills after its performance for the chamber music society. The group will perform at schools in Hot Springs, Edgemont, Custer and Oelrichs.

As far as playing for a Black Hills Chamber Music Society audience more accustomed to classical music than classic jazz, Speirs sees the concert as an opportunity.

“This is not typical for them,” he said. “It is going to be a unique concert. It’s great to make sure people understand this isn’t just a jazz concert. We’re going to talk. We’re going to have explanations about what we’re doing.”

And, of course, the spontaneous nature of jazz makes every concert different. “It’s not written down; it’s what we’re going to make of it that night,” he said.

If you go

Who: Dakota Jazz Collective

What: Black Hills Chamber Music Society concert series

When: 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9

Where:  First Congregational Church, 1200 Clark St., Rapid City

Tickets: Season tickets will be honored. Single-performance tickets cost $13 for adults, $10 seniors, $5 high school students, $1 children

Contact Eric Lochridge at 394-8321 or e-mail eric.lochridge@rapidcityjournal.com.