Lawrence Today magazine, Summer 2009
LAWRENCE MUSICIANS EARN PAIR OF DOWNBEAT AWARDS
By Rick Peterson
Leave it to the scientist in the group to know when an experiment has gone wrong. When seven Lawrence University student musicians first came together in the fall of 2007, they had visions of becoming the next great reggae band. “It became clear pretty quickly we weren’t a reggae band,” said Ted Toussaint ’09, a trumpet-playing physics major in the seven-member ensemble known as Fatbook. That doesn’t mean the band abandoned its hopes of making their mark on the music scene. In fact, Fatbook retooled its sound, incorporating pop, rock, jazz and even a little hip-hop to its reggae foundation. The bandmates also began applying some of their more formal jazz theory and ensemble training.
The musical evolution was rewarded this spring when Fatbook was named the nation’s best college band in DownBeat magazine’s 32nd annual student music awards competition. The band shared top honors with the Funk Fusion Ensemble of the University of Miami in the magazine’s college blues/pop/rock band category.
The Lawrence University Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Andrew Mast, joined Fatbook on this year’s DownBeat winner’s stand, copping best in the nation honors in the relatively new classical group division, which encompasses chamber ensembles, bands, and orchestras from around the country. It was the second DownBeat award for the ensemble, having previously been recognized in 1986 under director Robert Levy.
Known as “DBs” and presented in 16 categories in junior high, high school, performing high school and college divisions, the DownBeat awards are considered among the highest honors in the field of music education. The two latest awards, announced in DownBeat’s June edition, pushed Lawrence’s DB total to 17 since the competition was launched in 1978, with six of those coming in the last five years.
Brian Pertl ’86, dean of the conservatory, hailed the Wind Ensemble’s DownBeat award as “an outstanding achievement.” “This recognition is a well-deserved tribute to the stellar leadership and innovative programming of professor Mast, and the superb musicianship of our students,” said Pertl. “Andy is a shining example of everything we embrace at Lawrence. Not only does he do a superb job directing our Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band, he also regularly teaches courses in music history and Freshman Studies. His wide-ranging academic and musical interests are seen in his ensemble’s cutting edge programming. By mixing standard repertoire with lesser-known material, he challenges his students musically and intellectually.
At Lawrence we strive to achieve the highest level of musicianship and creativity each and every day. A national award like the DB gives us a chance to stand back and appreciate all the amazing things that are happening at our conservatory.”
After submitting his entry, Mast said he had no idea how long the odds were of actually winning, so the good news came as a most pleasant surprise. “What a thrill,” said Mast, who took over the ensemble in 2004 when Levy retired. “With its national and international circulation, DownBeat is read by all types of musicians. The fact that Lawrence is included among this year’s winners is a huge honor. Our category includes all classical ensembles, not just bands and wind ensembles. We were judged against all kinds of classical groups, many of which I’m sure have graduate students, which speaks volumes to the incredible quality of our students.” The audition CD Mast submitted for the competition was a collection of pieces performed in concerts in the winter and spring of 2008 as well as last fall.
“There really are two groups of students who contributed to winning this award,” Mast said. “It’s so gratifying to have the ensemble students recognized like this because they so richly deserve it. They work incredibly hard, are extremely dedicated to being the best musicians they can be, and are a true privilege to work with.
The external recognition is certainly great because it shines a national spotlight on Lawrence as the first-rate school that it is, but I am even happier for the internal satisfaction this brings the students who work so hard on a daily basis to make it that way.”
Fatbook becomes a footnote in Lawrence history as the college’s first non-curricular ensemble to receive a DownBeat award. The band features three home-grown musicians — Harjinder Bedi ’09, lead vocals and guitar, Jake Crowe ’10, tenor saxophone, and Toussaint, all from Appleton — as well as Nick Anderson ’09, bass, from Verona, Wis., Evan Jacobson ’09, trombone, from Oak Park, Ill., Dario LaPoma ’10, keyboards, from Eugene, Ore., and Kyle Traska ’09, drums/ percussion, from Oregon, Wis. “It’s really been an interesting experience watching something grow that we never expected to blossom the way that is has,” said LaPoma. “We’ve had a lot of fun with the band and to receive this kind of national recognition for the work we’ve all put in to it is very rewarding.” Traska called Fatbook, “The most beautiful mistake any of us could have made. We started out as just a side project, something to have some fun with and now we have this great band none of us quite know what to do with.”
Much of Fatbook’s original material is a result of shared composition. “Someone will suggest a core idea, but we’ll flesh it out together as a group,” said Toussaint. “All the guys in the band listen to and participate in a wide range of musical styles, so we naturally bring that diversity to the table.” The band, which also performs cover material ranging from The Police to Bela Fleck to Bob Marley, released its first CD, “No Time To Lose,” a 10-track disc of all original songs written by the band members, at the end of May.
“The guys in Fatbook have composed, arranged, and produced some fine original material and have worked very hard over the past year to bring their group vision to fruition,” said Fred Sturm ’73, director of jazz and improvisational music at Lawrence and a mentor to the band. “They’re striving to establish a unique musical identity, and they’ve got enormous heart for the task of making it all happen.” Watching Fatbook blossom has left Sturm with a definite sense of déjà vu. Thirty-five years ago, he helped form the jazz fusion nonet Matrix, which went on to record five albums and performed throughout the country. “These talented young musicians are beginning to realize some of their musical dreams while still college students. That’s a thrill to witness,” said Sturm. “It would be great to see some of the same success Matrix enjoyed happen for the Fatbook guys.”
Although band members scattered after graduation — one heading to China for a year, one slated to student-teach in Milwaukee in the fall and another heading to graduate school — they’re hoping fans haven’t heard the last of Fatbook. “The DownBeat award gave us a huge stamp of approval for what we’re doing,” said Jacobson. “It’s a dream to make the band a career, but this kind of recognition is helping that dream become a bit closer to reality.”
“I love this band,” added Anderson. “I’m playing with some incredible musicians and collaborating with them has been a great experience. It would be a shame musically to just let the group dissolve.”
This year’s DownBeat competition drew a total of 832 ensemble and individual national and international entries for all competition categories. A panel of 15 distinguished jazz educators, clinicians, composers and musicians selected winners based on 10 performance criteria, including technique, intonation, improvisation or creativity, and overall sound.
The Lawrence Wind Ensemble and Fatbook joined a list of talented Lawrence musicians spanning 25 years who have been recognized for excellence by DownBeat magazine. Previous DownBeat awards include:
1985
• Outstanding Performance by Jazz Ensemble
• Best Engineered Studio Recording
1986
• Outstanding Performance by Wind Ensemble
1991
• Jazz Arrangement: Marty Robinson ’91
1992
• Outstanding Performance by Jazz Singers
1994
•
Original Composition/Extended Composition: Charles Bayne ’95
1995
• Outstanding Performance for Instrumental Soloist: Doug Schneider ’95 (tenor saxophone)
1996
• Outstanding Performance for Instrumental Soloist: Javier Arau ’98 (tenor saxophone)
1997
• Original Composition/Extended Composition: Javier Arau ’98
2000
• Outstanding Performance by Jazz Ensemble
2002
•
Outstanding Performance by Jazz Singers
2005
• Outstanding Performance for Jazz Voice: Charlie Christenson ’05 and Megan Hamm ’07
2007
• Outstanding Performance by Jazz Ensemble
• Outstanding Jazz Arrangement: Doug Detrick ’06 (arrangement recorded/submitted while at Lawrence)
