And all that jazz: renowned composer works with local music students

Sharing artistry with the next generation of musicians

By Kendra Walker

Earlier this spring, some of Crested Butte’s budding jazz musicians had the unique opportunity to work with a renowned jazz pianist and composer, learn about jazz improvisation and receive feedback as they prepare to perform one of her compositions next week on May 20.

Matt Shugert teaches secondary music at the Crested Butte Community School, including the high school jazz band and middle school string ensemble. For the last couple of years, he has been working on creative and collaborative ways to bring the world of jazz to his students.

“Jazz is the music I most love to play and teach and listen to,” he says. “I’m trying to bring in artists and community members who are great musicians. It’s such a great opportunity to have some local musicians working with students.”

This past winter, the Center hosted a free monthly Après Jazz series which featured jazz artists from across Colorado. Shugert worked with the Center to utilize the series as a way to bring professional and renowned jazz musicians to the students. 

“There’s not a lot of jazz in the valley and putting on this jazz series and highlighting that is very exciting,” says Shugert. “(Center program manager) Stephanie (Helleckson) and I talked a lot about having the artists that were a part of this series also working with the CBCS music students. And Annie was one of the first people that came to mind.”

Annie Booth is an award-winning composer, arranger, jazz pianist and jazz educator and is currently on faculty at the Jazz and Commercial Music Program at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. She has been a guest director for all-state jazz ensembles and music institutions across the state and country.

“Annie is a great pianist and a great composer and educator,” says Shugert. “She writes music specifically for student ensembles and professional bands, and has a lot of great pieces specifically for student ensembles.”

Shugert and Booth met playing music in high school, when they both played for the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts (CCJA). They also played music together as classmates at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Shugert fondly remembers his time with the CCJA. “It’s a really great program for middle and high school students in the Front Range,” says Shugurt. “Students get to work with top jazz professionals in the area, learn about this art form and express themselves through improvisation.” 

Shugert was happy to bring this jazz mentorship component from his past to his students by inviting Booth to come workshop with the kids during her jazz residency at the Center. Booth spent a few days at the school working with the jazz students and performed for the Center’s Après Jazz series.  

Shugert says that prior to Booth’s visit, the jazz band had been learning some of Booth’s original jazz compositions. They played one of her pieces last year and are performing another one of her pieces for this year’s upcoming spring concert on May 20. While in Crested Butte, Booth spent time with the students workshopping her compositions, talking about jazz styles and working on improvisations. 

“I knew it would be a great opportunity for her to work with the students,” says Shugert. “She’s got a lot of unique approaches to improvisation and how to take off the conventional constraints of melody and harmony or fitting with a particular chord progression,” says Shugert. “The students worked on playing open, or playing free, and we did a lot of improv games.”

He explains, “In a lot of jazz music, there are some constraints that you put on yourself, such as playing songs in a certain style or the solo is eight measures and you have to fit the melody with the chords in the song. But with free playing, it takes those constraints away and there is less right or wrong to follow.” 

Shugert feels their time with Booth went very well. “I think the students loved it. It pushed them outside of their comfort zone in a really good way. It was very conversational and organic and got the students out of their heads. Annie had a lot of really great suggestions and feedback for how the rhythm sections can work together to improve the groove and create variety and stay fresh in the music.”

Booth also enjoyed her time working with the CBCS students. “It’s been awesome to be working with students at Crested Butte Community School,” she says. “It’s something I love doing and I’m very fortunate to do this. A really important part of my career is getting to share artistry with the next generation of musicians.”

Booth says it has been a special experience to hear the students play her compositions. “It’s wonderful that they are playing some of my pieces. I’ve been on the other side of it, working with a composer of a song you’ve been working on and learning about their compositional process,” she says. “One of the things that makes jazz so unique is the self expression and it’s so cool to hear the students express themselves and talk about storytelling.”

Booth says the students are working on her piece, “Hometown,” and she talked with the students about her creative writing process. “I don’t sing in public, but a huge part of my process is to sing as I’m writing. Another part is creating a regular ritual of it, writing a little bit every day and trying to create a catalogue of ideas. You have to write a lot of bad stuff that’s not very good in order to achieve something that is good. But just do it.”

Booth topped off her week in Crested Butte with her performance at the Center, playing some of her original music and songs from her latest album Here, There and Everywhere: The Beatles Songbook. She even brought up Shugert to play with her on the saxophone for a few songs. 

Booth has brought her music to Crested Butte before, playing at past jazz events and for weddings. “It’s been about seven years since I was here though, and it’s so nice to be back. It’s such a beautiful community and it feels like a real blessing to be up here and connect with the community. I’m thankful to Stephanie and the Center for the Arts for bringing me up here for this special opportunity.”

Shugert hopes the jazz collaborations in the community continue. Earlier this winter, the Domi Edson Trio performed at the Center and visited one of Shugert’s music classes to talk about jazz bands and improv. The CBCS jazz band will also be holding its spring concert at the Center on May 20, where they will perform one of the songs they worked on with Booth. 

“The Center has been a strong advocate of the music program and I’m very grateful for the support they have given the school,” says Shugert. “It’s been an awesome experience for the students.”

Tuesday’s concert at the Center for the Arts will begin at 6 p.m.