Madison Long
Life Editor
With a subtle cue from director and ISU assistant professor of applied voice and commercial music Jenna McLean, pianist Michael Evans strikes the first chord, followed instantly by Conner Huckaba on drums. McLean slips to the side, offering the occasional snap to keep everyone in rhythm.
The small ensemble of nine stands close to their microphones, voices low and resonant, slowly rising and intertwining, filling Goranson Recital Hall with layered harmonies. Madysen Stewart’s voice pierces through the texture at its peaks, delicate yet commanding.
Stewart inhales deeply, finding the pulse in the rhythm. The other vocalists soften as they begin Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” – arranged by Kerry Marsh.
“Turn down the lights, turn down the bed. Turn down these voices inside my head,” she sings, foot tapping steadily one, two, three, four. Her hand clutches the microphone, eyes alternating between her fellow performers and the rapt audience.
“In this format, they have to remember all the little nuances of style, phrasing, breath, and dynamics that we’ve established together,” says McLean. “They also have to remind themselves to perform expressively with their faces and bodies, since we devote so much time to shaping the music alone.”
Over twelve weeks, the ISU Civic Jazz Choir rehearses every Monday for two hours. Outside of rehearsal, they study the music individually, using time together to focus on musicality, dynamic shape, and breathing.
The group was founded in Fall 2024 by ISU faculty Jon Armstrong and McLean as the Civic Jazz Band. Initially focused on experimental commercial music ensembles with a few vocalists, the group split into two ensembles this year after interest in jazz singing grew. The groups are now the Civic Jazz Choir and the ISU Civic Jazz Big Band, directed by Craig Green.
November 17 brought the groups together once more for their fall concert, each performing a selection before joining for the Peter Eldridge and Darmon Meader arrangement of Redd Evans and David Mann’s “No Moon at All.”
“The first few rehearsals were very scary for me as I’d never sung proper jazz music, much less sung in a choir with a variety of talented jazz singers,” says Stewart, a recent ISU graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre. “As time went on, I found myself learning quickly. We were, and are, all on different levels of vocal study, so it was a beautiful creation of music.”
A sharp downbeat brings the saxophones and trumpets to life, starting a few spectators in the front row. Green leads with sweeping gestures, and the band launches into Arturo Sandoval’s “Funky Cha Cha.”
Throughout the performance, a retired gentleman blows a blazing trumpet solo, a busy mom sings her heart out, and a new-to-Pocatello college student shows off in her first concert. They bring to life soul-stirring pieces like “Willow Weep for Me,” “We Kiss in a Shadow,” and “Better Get Hit in Your Soul.”
“Considering I’m no longer a student at ISU, it’s lovely to have a connection to the music department and to keep singing without feeling stressed,” says Stewart. “The people involved were from all varying backgrounds and stages of life. It’s a perfect example of what music does for a community and how it brings people together.”
