Department of Music Jazz Ensemble

Check out the ESU Jazz Ensemble!

The Emporia State University Jazz Ensembles, under the direction of Dr. Gary Ziek, continues the long tradition of jazz education and performance at ESU. The band plays a wide variety of literature, ranging from the classic jazz of Count Basie and Duke Ellington to the contemporary sounds of Gordon Goodwin and Bob Florence. The group has performed with jazz artists such as Frank Mantooth, Bob Bowman, Doug Talley, Arthur Lipner, Robert McCurdy, Rick DiMuzio, Arthur White, and Randy Hamm.

The band has played throughout the region, including performances in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2018 at the Kansas Music Educators Association convention. The ESU Jazz Ensemble toured Europe during the summer of 2004, with performances in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The trip culminated with two performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival, in Montreux, Switzerland. The Jazz Ensemble and Minor Details Combo was invited to and performed at the North Texas Jazz Festival, in Addison, Texas in 2005 and 2006 and recently performed at the 13th Annual New York City Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center, in April of 2014.

Course: Jazz Ensemble
Course Number: MU 318 A / MU 648 A
Rehearsals: MTWR 12 - 12:50 pm
Room Number: Beach Hall 134

ESU Jazz Ensemble Audition Information

To all instrumentalists interested in auditioning for the ESU Jazz Ensemble I and II, we will have a brief meeting in the band room (BH 134) at 12:00 pm on the first day of the fall semester. We will proceed to auditions immediately after our meeting.