Bradley jazzed up its performance schedule by hosting the Tom Marko Sextet Thursday night in the Dingeldine Music Center.
The event, which showcased a jazzy and original style, featured Bradley Professor of Jazz Ensembles Todd Kelly on trumpet and flugelhorn and Bradley Professor of Music Steve Heinemann on saxophone.
Performing alongside Kelly and Heinemann were guitarist Harold Greene, pianist Kevin Hart, bassist Andy Crawford and drummer Tom Marko.
The Tom Marko Sextet is a newer group formed by Tom Marko, a professional jazz drummer and the current director of jazz at Illinois State University.
Kelly said Marko’s intention was to showcase original compositions for jazz combos.
“[He] put this all together,” Kelly said. “He had written all of this original music, and he had wanted to bring a group together.”
Kelly said it was an honor to be able to collaborate with a group of other great musicians.
“We’ve played together in various groups, but this is the first time ever that this personnel has performed together for the first time,” Kelly said.
The six musicians showcased eight of Tom Marko’s original compositions for the crowd. A few of the compositions performed were “Wings of Eagles”, “All the Cool Kids”, “The Journey Home” and “Samba de Los Markos”.
Kelly said he hopes the students who attended the concert got a lot out of it and believes the concert contributed greatly to Bradley’s cultural life.
Senior psychology major Jasmine Taylor said she attended the event to fulfill a CFA course requirement and ended up really enjoying it.
“It’s good to have different types of music on campus,” Taylor said. “I liked the ‘Samba de los Markos’ composition. It was nice to hear the Brazilian influence in the music.”
Likewise, senior English and psychology double major Satori Elder said she also attended for her CFA course but formed a personal connection with one of the songs.
“I like that Tom Marko described each composition in detail, including how and why he wrote them,” she said. “[The song] ‘Summer Sky’ was my favorite. It reminded me of my family trips.”
Kelly said live jazz is a much more exciting experience than listening to recordings, and he hopes that students had a great time.
“The performance allows our students to hear some of the finest jazz musicians in the area,” Kelly said.
