Music

Staying Smooth in the Face of Adversity

Hayley Jacobson |

The UW-Eau Claire Jazz Studies department put a new spin on the pandemic, releasing an ensemble recording titled “A Time To Heal” on their YouTube page when the university first shut down back in March.

The video was composed by Adi Yeshaya, a UWEC instructor, and was performed by the students in the Jazz Ensemble I. More recently, the band discovered that 21 albums made by the band dating back all the way to 1993 are unavailable anywhere online. To remedy this, they’re uploading the albums for all to enjoy.

Starting Sept. 8 at 10am, one album will be featured, and two of the songs will be released onto the jazz band’s YouTube page. This will continue into the middle of January.

Because of COVID, the jazz ensembles are taking extra precautions when performing. They stand more than six feet apart with special equipment on the front of their instruments to stop aerosol spread from the tips, and much more.

“In today’s music industry, it is an advantage for every musician to have a background in home recording and the making of video,” said John Francis, the jazz assistant.

To hear everything the department is up to, start on the UWEC Jazz Studies YouTube page.