Rhythm and Light: Syncopation and Jazz Ensemble Team Up for a Bluesy Good Time

Enjoy an evening of lively swing and high-energy jazz with Syncopation and the Jazz Ensemble

For anyone wanting to get out of the slump of winter, BYU’s Syncopation and Jazz Ensemble concert “Rhythm and Light” is the perfect solution. On March 1, the two groups will collaborate for an evening of jazzy rhythms and bluesy tunes that will bring a bit of springtime warmth to the Utah Valley.

“This is one of our favorite concerts of the year,” said Syncopation director Hayley Kirkland. “We love collaborating with Jazz Ensemble!”

During the concert, audiences can look forward to an evening of variety, with songs ranging from Earth, Wind and Fire’s “September” to the “heart-breaking” jazz classic “‘Round Midnight.”

“Each song is unique in style and tempo and full of beautiful, complex harmonies,” said Kirkland.

Jazz Ensemble director Mark Ammons said that the concert focuses on the joy that jazz can bring through its rhythm and light. He reminisced on the night he fell in love with jazz music when he was in Washington, D.C. at a jazz night club.

“I never felt so much light in music in one place,” said Ammons. “And I discovered that light in music could be happy and sad, glad and melancholy, laid-back and ebullient! What a wonderful life-changing discovery!”

The concert with Syncopation and Jazz Ensemble celebrates the same qualities that first instilled a love of jazz in Ammons: rhythm and light.

“We celebrate all these wonderful attributes of jazz,” said Ammons. “Come celebrate with us. Come let the rhythm and light of jazz warm your soul and give you an evening of joy!”

For tickets to this performance, visit arts.byu.edu.


BYU Syncopation and Jazz Ensemble: Rhythm and Light

de Jong Concert Hall

March 1 at 7:30 p.m.

BYU recommends all patrons wear a mask while indoors at campus performance venues, regardless of vaccination status.

For details about the updated COVID-19 policy, visit coronavirus.byu.edu.