Music at Butler: Butler University Jazz Combos

The Butler University Jazz Combos take the stage at Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall on Thursday, November 12, as part of the Music at Butler series. It's a night that puts the university's jazz students front and center, with several different combos performing throughout the evening.

The program draws from two directions. On one side, the combos play original music—the kind of stuff the students are writing and arranging themselves. On the other, they work through jazz standards, the familiar songs that form the common language of the genre. Between the two, you'll hear a mix of new compositions and the older records that most jazz students study as they find their footing.

There are five directors leading the ensembles: Jesse Wittman, Sean Imboden, Sandy Williams, Chelsea Hughey, and Kent Hickey. Each one works with a different combo, so the night isn't just one long set by a single group. Instead, it's a succession of smaller bands, each with its own sound and its own set of players, which means the energy shifts as the different groups rotate through the hall.

It's a free show and open to the public, so you don't need a ticket to get in. The music starts at 7:30 PM at Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall on the Butler campus in Indianapolis.