The spirit of jazz has come to embrace the American River College community just in time for the last stage of the fall semester.

ARC will host two upcoming performances for students to show their talents and commend the musical genesis that is jazz on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

Dyne Eifertsen, professor and co-chair of the music department, will be directing the shows. 

Most concerts by the jazz ensemble are a tribute to a specific artist. The first upcoming performance on Nov. 30, by ARC’s instrumental jazz ensemble, is a tribute to Duke Ellington and his rendition of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker.” 

The show will also feature a performance by Cordova High School.

The concert is also a tribute to Billy Strayhorn, a lesser-known composer that Ellington used with his band. Strayhorn had a lot to do with the arrangements, but does not receive as much credit due to Ellington’s eclipsing stature in the music industry. 

The ensemble will play five out of the nine movements from the piece.

The other performance, on Dec. 1, will be delivered by ARC’s jazz combos in a more intimate performance reminiscent of a jazz club.

The jazz combos are a student-run entity. They choose their repertoire and create the arrangements.

“I’m there to kind of coach and maybe figure out ways of making the arrangements more interesting,” Eifertsen said. “But really, it’s them getting together and doing it. I like the fact that they get the opportunity to lead.”

Eifertsen said that the configuration of the shows was hurried due to conflicting schedules with theater performances.

“It’s been challenging,” Eifertsen said. “It’s been really rushed to do, but the students have stepped up and [I’m] really enjoying working on this music.”

Aside from the difficulties, Eifertsen said it is an honor to be able to perform the type of music he does.

“It’s very special, a very special performance,” Eifertsen said.

Eifertsen has been a professor at ARC for over 20 years and says that it has been fantastic.

“I love it. Couldn’t think of any other job I’d rather have,” Eifertsen said. “It’s just a dream, being able to work with musicians all day long.”

The experience working with the current students has continuously been a positive one for Eifertsen.

“They’re just putting their heart and soul into it, and that’s all I can ask,” Eifertsen said. “Any great big band, they all played with passion, and I feel like these students are doing that. I’m really proud of them for their work.”

The joy of the music is what Eifertsen wants audience members to take away from the show.

Students from the combos and the ensemble are excited to play with their fellow members.

“I look forward to the combos’ stuff all the time,” Reagan Lorentzen, a jazz combos member and music major, said. “We have all these songs we practice, then we finally get to show everyone what we’ve practiced.”

The students say there’s a lot of adrenaline when it comes to the thought of their upcoming performances.

“It keeps us on our toes,” said Joshua Williams, a jazz combos member and general education major. “Maybe there’s unused ideas that we couldn’t do for the last show, that we maybe want to do next time. So, it’s always creatively stimulating.”

The performance on Nov. 30 will take place in the ARC theater, and the performance on Dec. 1 will be held in room 547 in the music building. Both shows start at 7:30 p.m.