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Dickinson Jazz Ensemble 2009 Winter Concert


The Dickinson Jazz Ensemble presented energetic sounds from both sides of the Atlantic during its 2009 winter concert.

Kicking off with the self-descriptive "Funkomatic" and closing with the cinematic "Live and Let Die,” the concert featured classic tunes by Ike Strum, Ray Noble, Bob Mintzer and Morgan Lewis. But it was Stevie Wonder's signature funk and the Beatles' swingy, experimental pop that anchored the show.

Born as Steveland Judkins in 1950, Stevie Wonder burst onto the Motown-music scene in 1962, when he was 12 years old. He has endured as a prodigious American-music icon in the four decades since. The jazz ensemble presented three of his funky, familiar hits: "I Wish," "Send One Your Love" and "Superstition."

The Beatles' John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr helped define Western pop culture from the band’s debut on American television in 1964 until its breakup in 1970.  The winter concert included three Beatles songs—“Come Together," "Got to Get You Into My Life," and "Norwegian Wood”—as well as a tune by spinoff band Paul McCartney and Wings. 


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  • Senaka Ratnayake '10, a biochemistry & molecular biology major, belts out a line.
    Senaka Ratnayake
  • Pianist Michael Dempsey '12 holds down the fort in the rhythm section.
    Michael Dempsey
  • George Fitting '10, an English major, is one of three Dickinson students in the four-member trumpet section.
    George Fitting
  • The saxophone section basks in the concert's sax-heavy arrangements. Although the golden era of the Big Band had passed, reed and brass instruments figured heavily in the funk records of the 1960s and '70s. They were also occasionally used in pop tunes by bands such as the Beatles.
    Jazz Ensemble
  • Director Michael Clayville leads the ensemble.
    Michael Clayville
  • Led by Michael Clayvile, the 15-member Dickinson Jazz Ensemble welcomes all members of the college community, including students, faculty, staff and area residents.
    Jazz Ensemble
Senaka Ratnayake '10, a biochemistry & molecular biology major, belts out a line. Prev ImageNext Image