The Gordon Jazz Ensemble will perform a program of jazz standards, big band favorites, funk and rock tunes Saturday, during an outdoor homecoming concert on the Wenham college's campus.
Unofficially known as the Coy Pond Piranhas, the 22-member big band is made up mostly of student musicians.
According to David Rox, band director, the concert will feature songs like "Tickletoe" by Lester Young, "The Jitterbug Waltz" by Fats Waller and "Blues in Hoss Flat" by Count Basie.
While many tunes are instrumentals, Amy Fichera, a vocalist who has been with the band four years, will sing "Thou Shall" by Jerome Kern and "Summer Wind," popularized by Frank Sinatra.
Rox, of Topsfield, is a Gordon alumnus and professor who took over the ensemble in 1981. He said many in the group are classically oriented musicians whom he teaches to play jazz, which he refers to as a unique American idiom that has stood the test of time.
"The kids here grew up listening to rock 'n' roll, and they're learning a new language," said Rox, who also directs Gordon's symphonic band and wind ensemble.
Besides serving as director, Rox also adds his trombone skills to some songs; he's been playing the instrument for more than 40 years.
The ensemble rehearses during the school year and holds four annual concerts. Each season, members graduate and move on, a process Rox compares to college football players graduating or moving to the pros.
While in the ensemble, students get to gel together.
For instance, the current four-piece trombone section has played as a group for two years, but some seniors, such as Ryan Stadt, have been in the band since freshman year.
Stadt, a philosophy major, said the experience has been fun and he's grown as a musician.
"When we click, we really click," Stadt said about the horns.
