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Those stopping by the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center tonight will be treated to a different kind of spring picnic when the music school presents its Outdoor Big Band Finale in the building's main courtyard.

The annual open-air event will feature the University Jazz Band, the Jazz Lab Band and the Jazz Ensemble. Director of Jazz Studies Chris Vadala started the concert shortly after joining the university 14 years ago and sees it as a yearly opportunity for both the musicians and the audience to lay loose.

"It's a little more of a relaxed event - we don't try to dress up formally or anything like that," he said. "We try to put our best musical foot forward, but by the same token, we're going to have people just hanging out by the grass and eating while we're playing. So I think it gives a different kind of an atmosphere that both the performers and the listeners are very comfortable with."

Each of the three bands will perform a 30-minute set with no intermissions. The students are scheduled to play a wide variety of tunes ranging from the well-known works of Miles Davis and Duke Ellington to pieces composed by some lesser-known artists.

"It's a lot of cool composers that a lot of kids don't hear," said freshman jazz studies major Michael Kramer, a member of the Jazz Lab Band. "But if they were to be exposed to that, they might open their ears to something new."

The true nature of the event's spirit, however, lies within its unique setup. The musicians play toward the trees and grassy knolls behind CSPAC, allowing for their audience to create a somewhat festive ambiance. Vadala describes the experience as a smaller version of Art Attack, but with a "beach atmosphere" in which the crowd can enjoy an early dinner set to some quality jazz music.

"Bring a picnic, bring some friends, bring some food, enjoy the weather and enjoy some great jazz bands," said senior music major Vishal Panchal, who is also a member of the Jazz Lab Band. "If there is room out there, you can swing dance; you can talk - it's just a really cool outing. And this music is going to be smoking hot."

One element of the performance will be improvised solos by featured musicians. Vadala cites this aspect of the show as particularly important because of its place as "a big part of the jazz tradition."

"They stand up, and they play solos that are very cerebral, and they're made up," he said. "It's not written out stuff, so, this gives them an opportunity to compose on their own essentially."

The concert will serve as the last performance of the year for the jazz band students, something Vadala describes as "bittersweet." Vadala will give alumni shirts to the seniors, and though he will encourage them to return for the annual alumni show in March, he realizes this will be the final time he works with some of the musicians.

"The sad thing is we'll be graduating some folks, and we'll be losing people," Vadala said. "Having this kind of relaxed environment at the end is a great way to culminate our season, but at the same time, I look forward to next time. As soon as we get done with this particular performance, I'll already start pulling music for next season. I think it's a good way to close things out, but we're still looking forward."

The Outdoor Big Band Finale is tonight at 5:30 in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center's main courtyard and is free.

tfloyd1@umd.edu

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