Peter Sommer
2020 NOCO Honor Jazz Band Conductor

Saxophonist Peter Sommer has contributed his energetic and graceful playing and creative spirit to a wide variety of musical projects ranging from mainstream bebop to classic and contemporary concert music to avant-garde improvisations at venues across the nation and around the world.
Peter has released five albums as a leader. His latest release, Happy-Go-Lucky Locals (2017), features his working septet of Front Range jazz masters playing original arrangements and compositions inspired by legends of the art form. Previous releases include Sioux County (2006) on Tapestry Records, featuring his original compositions in duo with jazz piano legend Art Lande, Crossroads (2008) on Capri Records, featuring a two-tenor frontline with the great NYC saxophonist Rich Perry, and Tremolo Canteen (2010) and Narrando Historias (2015) on Dazzle Recordings.
Sommer is also active as a concert saxophonist, performing recitals of newly commissioned pieces and masterworks both regionally and abroad. Recent performances include John Mackey's Soprano Saxophone Concerto and David Biedenbender's “Dreams in Dusk” with the Colorado State University Symphonic Band. He was also a member of the consortium to commission a new soprano saxophone concerto from William Bolcom, which he premiered in Fall 2016 with the CSU Wind Symphony, and a new sonata from James M. David, premiered in Fall 2019.
Peter has performed with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, the Fort Collins Symphony, and the Cheyenne Symphony He has been a featured jazz soloist at North American Saxophone Alliance Regional and Biennial Conferences.  He has also performed at IAJE International Conferences in Anaheim and Toronto, Canada, at the Jeju International Wind Ensemble Festival in South Korea, and has performed at World Saxophone Congresses in Valencia, Spain, Bangkok, Thailand, St. Andrews, Scotland and Strasbourg, France.
Peter Sommer is Associate Professor of Saxophone and Jazz Studies at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins and serves as the Woodwind Area Coordinator for the School of Music, Theatre and Dance. He is a D’Addario Woodwinds Artist and performs exclusive on Select Jazz and Reserve Reeds on all of his instruments.

NoCo Honor Jazz Band Dates (tentative)

Dates are still in the works, but we are planning on rescheduling the event for late April/early May 2021!
Auditions will be due just prior to Spring Break (March 13-ish)

NoCo Honor Jazz Band Audition Instructions

Horns:

• Chromatic Scale, full range of your instrument, ascending AND descending.
• Play the indicated excerpt for your instrument at the indicated metronome marking (metronome should be audible on your recording).
  • Only students interested in playing lead trumpet should record the lead trumpet excerpt.
• Two 12 bar choruses of blues in F or blues in Bb (see your director for play-along recording).
• Optional: Play the head then improvise up to 2 choruses on "Doxy” (see your director for play along recording).
  • Play along recordings for the F/Bb Blues and “Doxy” can be found on Aebersold Vol. 54 “Maiden Voyage.”

Guitar, Piano, Bass, Vibes:

• Play the indicated excerpt for your instrument at the indicated metronome marking (metronome should be audible on your recording).
• Comp 2 choruses of blues (in F or Bb) and solo 2 choruses (see your director for play along recording.)
• Optional: Play the head then improvise up to 2 choruses on “Doxy” see your director for play along recording).
  • Play along recordings for the F/Bb Blues and “Doxy” can be found on Aebersold Vol. 54 “Maiden Voyage.”

Drum Set: 

• Play the indicated excerpts for your instrument at the indicated metronome marking (metronome should be audible on your recording).
• Play 32 bars of Samba at Half note = 100 (example pattern follows the main excerpt) in the following manner:
  • 4 bars of time/4 bars of solo fill, 4 bars of time/4 bars of solo fill, 4 bars of time/4 bars of solo fill, 4 bars of time/4 bars of solo fill… for a total of 32 bars.
• Play 64 bars of Up-tempo swing at Quarter note = 220 in the following manner:
  • 8 bars of time/8 bars solo fill, 8 bars of time/8 bars of solo fill, 8 bars of time/8 bars solo fill, 8 bars of time/8 bars of solo fill… for a total of 64 bars.

NoCo Honor Jazz Band Audition Excerpts

Please click this link to download NoCo Honor Jazz Band Audition Materials.