Jim Carroll came to Washington in 1990 to play saxophone with the U.S. Army Band. Today he is director of jazz studies at George Mason University and artistic director of the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, a collection of premiere jazz artists from the area.
Since its debut in 2002, the annual MJO concert has celebrated the cultural and historical influence of jazz, from stride piano and blues to fusion and cool.
“Our concert on Saturday pays tribute to swing and the big band era,” Carroll says. “The period from 1930 to 1945, through World War II, is the most popular period in jazz.
“Alto saxophonist Marty Nau, one of our guest musicians, will play ‘Concerto for Clarinet’ by Artie Shaw. Other highlights will be Glenn Miller’s ‘In The Mood,’ Benny Goodman’s ‘Sing, Sing, Sing,’ Woody Herman’s ‘Caldonia’ and a Tommy Dorsey medley.
“We’re fortunate that some of the greatest musicians on the planet live in the area. Some are members of the Army Blues, Navy Commodores or Airmen of Note. They all have their own careers, even their own bands, but they enjoy getting together for this event every year and for our concerts at the Kennedy Center and elsewhere around town. Some of the guys even give up their time to work with students during the summer,” he said.
Carroll grew up in Ottawa, Ill., listening to his father’s recordings of Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker, but the sound of Eugene Rousseau’s classical saxophone drew him in that direction at first. He studied with Rousseau at Indiana University, receiving a bachelor’s degree in music in saxophone performance and a master’s in music in woodwinds and jazz.
“My students today find it hard to believe that my motivation had nothing to do with getting a job or money, but only with becoming a better sax player,” he says. “Learning from Rousseau was a unique experience that taught me to become a whole human being.”
After teaching jazz performance at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, for five years, Carroll joined the U.S. Army Band. Today at GMU, he can balance his three loves: teaching, conducting and performing.
His dream is to develop a jazz program in Northern Virginia similar to one in Columbus that features a weekly series of jazz concerts, a subscription series, a youth program and guest artists.
“Jazz has a growing following in this area,” he says. “I’m a firm believer in advancing jazz as a major part of our culture and American history. When they began reviving Washington’s U Street area and the Lincoln Theatre, music was the first thing that came to mind.
“Music is a metaphor for humanity, art and integration. The value of the arts in our lives is on a spiritual level that the politicians don’t get,” he said.
IF YOU GO
The Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra honors the Big Band Era
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Venue: George Mason University Center for the Arts, Fairfax
Tickets: $19 to $38; call 888-945-2468
Information: 703-993-2787 (ARTS) or www.gmu.edu/cfa
