The Hillcats Faculty Jazz Ensemble has hit the sweet note in the group’s 17 years of existence.
“This is far the best band faculty that we’ve had,” said Chris McCourry, director of jazz studies and trumpet player for The Hillcats. “Ever since our new bass player Ed Fedewa came last year, this group has really taken off. It’s amazing.”
Tomorrow, The Hillcats will perform the music of the legendary 22-time Grammy-winning American jazz composer and pianist Chick Corea, who is currently touring the world with his band, The Vigil. Corea is known as a pioneer in the electric jazz fusion movement and for his Latin‑inspired beats.
“Chick’s very hot right now, he has been for years,” McCourry said. “Every jazz musician knows his tunes. I have been listening to his music since high school.”
The jazz ensemble features McCourry on the trumpet and Adjunct Instructors Jonathon Gewirtz on saxophone, Larry Ochiltree on drums, Ed Fedewa on the bass, Arlene McDaniel on piano, and Sunny Wilkinson as jazz vocalist. All members teach at the college level and have individually played with a variety of groups from rock and bluegrass to symphonies.
“As musicians, we live to play for an audience — to let them dust off the dirt of the day for a few hours and drop their worries,” Ochiltree said. “Music is the universal language that opens you up and leaves you with a different mindset.”
Ochiltree said she hopes the audience will be captured by the “aggressive, light, groovy, airy, and soft” flavors of Corea’s music.
McCourry has been working hard to perfect Corea’s famous song “Spain.”
“For everything that this band plays, the bar keeps getting raised higher and higher,” McCourry said. “Every player is bringing better game and we’re playing things faster than the recording — and they’re playing fast enough. I’ve been practicing “Spain” really fast, I’ll be ready for it.”
Hillsdale senior saxophone player Tricia Clarey knows the piece “Spain” well.
“It’s a tough song that has a fun Latin-sounding beat,” Clarey said. “In high school, my school jazz band played it and it took us forever to learn. I’m pretty excited to hear the faculty play it.”
A music minor and musician in the Big Band’s jazz combo and saxophone quartet, Clarey has attended nearly all The Hillcats’ concerts during her time at Hillsdale. She also takes saxophone lessons from Gewirtz.
“It’s good to see our professors play and to see them working together to make music,” Clarey said. “As a student, it’s nice to see what a jazz performance looks like in the real world.”
McCourry is excited for The Hillcats to share Corea’s music with Hillsdale students, faculty, and friends of the college.
“Hopefully people will come and hear music that they haven’t really heard quite like it before,” McCourry said. “We take one composer and play a lot of his music to show off his harmonic and melodic music. Everyone around the world knows who Chick is, and now a Hillsdale audience will too.”
