Goal: Conduct and interview with someone related to your issue, Jazz in Eugene. Then create a 4o0 word Q&A with a 50 word introduction. Include a sound clip.

Tony Glausi is a sophomore jazz trumpet player and jazz major at the University of Oregon. In addition to jazz trumpet playing, he also performs on piano and composes. In his recent recital, all of the music he performed was his own. 

What is a day in the life of a jazz student/performer like?

[As a student] you are going to class, you are practicing, which is like homework. There is also homework for other classes. A jazz musician is generally a teacher. Not first and foremost, but definitely a high source of income is being a teacher. A jazz player also needs to be a very versatile musician. So I am a jazz trumpet player as my title, but I also am a jazz piano player, classical piano player, and a classical trumpet player. So a day in the life [of a jazz musician] is teaching, gigging, writing, arranging, meeting, [and] emailing, pretty standard things. It’s not just wake up, practice, [and] play a show.

What is your favorite part of gigging?

My favorite type of the gig experience is having people who really know what they are talking about and who really mean it to come up and say, “I really, really love what you are doing.” I think that’s what makes it fun. [It] is when people really appreciate it. Because that is what music is. It is just an art form. It’s simple as it’s just supposed to be enjoyed. So it’s fun when people enjoy it.

A follow up to that, when you are gigging, what’s going through your mind?

Unfortunately, a lot of the time I am playing I’m thinking a mixture of positive and negative thoughts about specifically my trumpet playing. But, if I’m in a really good healthy mental state, I’m just thinking about playing music that I would want to hear. [I think] “How would I want to be hearing this show? What would I want to hear this trumpet player do?” I just try to listen to what is going on around me and do that.

Do you compose?

I do, it’s a huge part of jazz. You’re taking melodies, taking tunes and maybe you’re writing tunes and all it is, is simple things that are made into something a lot greater, a lot more complicated, maybe not as complicated. There is a lot more to listen to. It’s definitely a brainy, unfortunately, it’s definitely a heady, you know, sort of  thinker sort of music. Jazz requires the listener to really focus. I like it, I really prefer jazz.