Hot jazz, cool chamber music

The Caltech Jazz Bands promise to raise the temperature a few degrees as they present their annual winter concert on Saturday, January 19, at 8 p.m. in Beckman Auditorium. Directed by William Bing, the student musicians will play favorites from the swing era to the present, including numbers by Paul Lopez, Clifford Brown, J. J. Johnson, Neal Hefti, Les Deutsch, and others. The public is invited to enjoy the free concert, which Bing says attracts more than 500 people each year. No tickets or reservations are needed for the event, which includes a post-concert reception.

In addition to appearing at numerous Institute functions and concerts, the Caltech Jazz Bands—the Swing Band and Concert Band—have played in competitions, done recording sessions, and performed for standing-room-only crowds at the Baked Potato, a former local jazz club. They have recorded two CDs, Exothermic Jazz (1998) and Crowd Pleasers (2001), which are available at the Caltech Bookstore and several local record stores.

Jazz Bands director Bing has been teaching at Caltech since 1971, and also conducts the Caltech-Occidental Concert Band, comprising musicians from the students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Caltech and Occidental College, and from JPL and the local community. Bing’s name is written all over the Los Angeles music scene—besides teaching trumpet in the area, he’s played with everyone from the L. A. Chamber Orchestra to Henry Mancini, and everywhere from the Hollywood Bowl to the Music Center, as well as on movie soundtracks, television, and commercials. He and his wife, Delores Bing, director of Caltech’s chamber music program, were the recipients of the Associated Students of Caltech’s 16th annual Excellence in Teaching Award.

Also beginning this month, Delores Bing will direct Caltech’s annual winter chamber music concert series. The musicians, who include students, grad students, and a smattering of staff, faculty, and JPL personnel, will perform a variety of classical music for small ensembles, with different programs presented for each concert. The free public performances will be followed by receptions and will take place on January 26 and 27, February 1, and February 3—the annual Super Bowl Alternative Concert.
Bing has directed Caltech’s chamber music program since its founding in 1979, and has organized and coached more than 500 small ensembles of Caltech students. A cellist who studied at Drake University and the University of Southern California, she has been as much a part of Los Angeles music as her husband. Bing has performed as a guest member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, as well as with the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra and numerous other ensembles. In addition, she has played on more than 100 motion picture and television soundtracks, including Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Trek, The Shawshank Redemption, and The X Files.

Other upcoming student music events include the Pacific Southwest Intercollegiate Festival on Saturday, March 2, at Biola College in La Mirada; the Glee Clubs’ annual Winter Concert on March 8 and 9; and the Caltech-Occidental Symphony Orchestra on March 10. For more information, visit www.events.caltech.edu/events.shtml.
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