The Bakersfield College jazz ensemble held their fall concert on Nov. 14. The concert, which consisted of a repertoire of big-band arrangements of jazz tunes from the ’50s and ’60s, is the group’s first concert this semester.

Kris Tiner, who has been the jazz program director and instructor at BC for 10 years, said that the ensemble put on two big shows each year on campus, one in the fall and one in the spring. This coming spring, the jazz ensemble will team up with the BC drum line and the brass ensemble to offer an outdoor concert.

In addition to the concerts on campus, the jazz ensemble also participates in other performances around town. “Sometimes I break the group down into smaller combos for different events on campus, and occasionally a private event,” said Tiner.

According to Tiner, the group has performed in the Red and White Wine and Food Festival at BC in the past few years.

The group’s next performance will be on Nov. 27 as part of the Bakersfield Jazz Workshop, a nonprofit organization that puts on music for the community, hosted by Le Corusse Rouge restaurant.

The Bakersfield College Jazz Program relies heavily on donations made by the community. They have started “Friends of BC Jazz,” an organization that urges people to make tax deductible donations to the Bakersfield College Jazz Program, in order to provide instruments, sheet music, music scholarships, help with the ongoing maintenance of the instruments, transportation expenses of performing at local events and festivals, and help bring world-class guest artists to campus to work with the students.

“Once a semester, I try to bring a professional musician to clinic [teach] and demonstrate,” said Tiner. He also explained the importance of the continued support of the community for the Bakersfield College Jazz Program, which, according to Tiner, provides a positive learning experience for students.

Omar Murillo, music major at BC and member of the BC Jazz Ensemble, is one of the students who takes advantage of this positive learning environment.

“Music is everything, it’s a form of expression,” said Murillo. “You put in a lot of time and getting to play in these shows, having a great turn out like we did tonight, and having people actually enjoy our music, that’s what makes all the hard work worthwhile,” he said.