The Performance and Improvisation Ensemble, or PI, is a uniquely collaborative ensemble that explores cross-cultural music. The ensemble engages with diverse musical pedagogy and curates multiple concerts a semester. Jamey Haddad, professor of Advanced Improvisation and Percussion, has led PI since 2011 alongside Jay Ashby, associate professor of Jazz Studies, teacher of Jazz Composition and Trombone, and director of the Division of Jazz Studies. Since then, the two have instructed and influenced scores of students and collaborated with decorated guest artists from around the world.
Haddad has announced his retirement at the conclusion of the 2024–2025 academic year, prompting reflection on his work from his colleagues and students. PI, a core ensemble Haddad has dedicated his time to, is something incredibly special at Oberlin, and his impact is evident through its legacy.
The ensemble began as an endeavor to expand the traditional training a student would receive on their primary instrument — most often one of western origins — and to unite people of various musical backgrounds in performing underrepresented musical traditions. While it may seem intimidating to take on an entirely new type of repertoire, PI ensemble is a supportive and immersive opportunity for students to get out of their musical comfort zone.
“When we get together, there’s a whole new set of skills to be learned,” Haddad said. “I just think there’s so much trepidation or fear involved with the idea of not sounding great after you work so hard to try to play things perfectly. All I can do is to try to feel what someone is experiencing and try to put them at ease about it; [PI] is a safe space.”
Haddad and Ashby aim to break down the borders between classical and jazz, combining different musical experiences to produce something inspiring and enriching to students’ musical education. Their extensive work has taken them across the world and simultaneously brought world music to Oberlin with lasting impact.
“When I say world music, it is a kind of label that I’m not a big fan of, but it happens to be effective because it references the world at large,” Ashby said. “We’re talking about other styles that are not typically considered jazz or jazz adjacent, and not typically considered Western European derivative or classical. Jamey has a lot of expertise in Southeast Asian and Indian classical music, and we’ve both had a lot of experience in different styles and genres of music that are part of the African diaspora.”
Every semester, Haddad and Ashby welcome guest artists from across the world to work with students in PI. Last Wednesday, students, faculty, and Venezuelan guest pianist Leo Blanco took to the stage for PI’s first concert of the semester in the Cat in the Cream. Blanco, a professor of piano and Africana studies at Berklee College of Music, is a former student of Haddad’s. Blanco worked with Oberlin students in private lessons and PI rehearsals during his visit.
“Leo Blanco said something to me that really stuck,” College fourth-year Katie Warren said. “Transitioning from classical to jazz or many other cultures of music outside of Eurocentric styles is like learning a new language.”
The repertoire Blanco chose exposed musicians to South American tunes featuring a variety of instruments and solos based on strong cultural ties.
“The first tune is ‘Tonada del Cabrestero’ by the great composer Simón Díaz,” Blanco said when introducing the song to the audience Wednesday night. “The tonada is a form of song in Venezuela that is sung by the peasants and cowboys of Venezuela and Colombia. The peasants go early in the morning to gather all the cattle. Every cow has its own name — Mariposa, Teresa, Nube de Agua, et cetera — and they sing, ‘Mariposa!’ And so you can imagine that voice travels through the plains. This is a form of the song that’s sung a cappella by the peasants.”
Despite playing a myriad of instruments and musical backgrounds, PI ensemble unites performers both in rehearsal and on the stage with guest artists. Classical viola and voice complement jazz trombone and electric guitar as drum kit, cajon, and pandero pulse along as the heartbeat of the ensemble.
The tradition of cultural exploration has existed for years in PI, including Winter Term trips to Brazil and India to witness and learn firsthand from different musical cultures. Countless guest artists have visited Oberlin, including virtually in 2020, and students have gained invaluable experience through Haddad’s and Ashby’s efforts.
“Part of my goals as a musician is to become well acquainted with all these different styles,” College fourth-year Liam Hutchings said. “Nothing is better than having a musician native to a particular musical culture who is able to instruct you from their own lived musical experiences.”
Haddad’s and Ashby’s pedagogy and collective passion for PI benefits not only Oberlin as a community but also individual students, past and present. Their impact on understanding musical borders is paramount to the diversity and opportunities of the Conservatory.
“Jamey has said many times that you should not back away from musical experiences that you are afraid of because those are the experiences you will learn the most from,” Warren said. “This very much resonated with me, and I would like to encourage others to try things they may be scared to do. I wish I had gotten that advice much sooner.”
Both Haddad and Ashby have assured that the future of PI will be in excellent hands and continue to thrive at the Conservatory.