Associate Professor of Saxophone Paul Haar had been planning since last October to play with the Amazonia Jazz Band at the International Music Festival in Belem, Brazil, in June. What he wasn’t expecting was to have such a life-changing experience while there.
“I kind of thought it was just going to be come down and play an outdoor jazz festival, like New Orleans Jazz here,” he said. “But it was far more involved than that. It was really amazing.”
It was the 26th year for the annual week-long festival, which has nearly 10 sites and brings musicians from all over the world to participate.
Haar was invited to perform with the Amazonia Jazz Band by Nelson Neves (D.M.A. in piano performance 2007), who conducts the band. Neves first started playing in the band as principal pianist 17 years ago, before coming to the U.S. for his master’s and doctoral degrees in the U.S. Following his graduation from UNL in 2007, he toured Europe for a semester with another jazz band, before being invited by the Secretary of Culture in Belem, Brazil, to return and conduct the Amazonia Jazz Band.
“Dr. Haar and I have known each other and played together since doing my doctorate in piano performance at UNL,” Neves said. “We had a great time playing classical and jazz on several occasions, and I thought it would be such a great honor and experience to have him play with the Amazonia Jazz Band.”
The Amazonia Jazz Band was founded 20 years ago and is today comprised of 21 musicians and seven technical team members and management. They are sponsored by the government of the State of Para and Secretary of Culture and are required to play once a month. They are also invited to play for special and private government events.
“Since returning, Nelson has really taken the band to a whole other level,” Haar said.
Haar and the Amazonia Jazz Band performed a Thursday night concert during the Festival at Theatro da Paz, a performance hall built in 1860, which was modeled after La Scala opera house in Milan, Italy.
“The tickets for the Amazonia Jazz Band concert on Thursday were sold out in one hour,” Neves said. “There was great expectation from everyone for this concert, and I can proudly say that the band and Dr. Paul Haar delivered beyond people’s expectations. The crowd was really excited and responsive during the concert.”
Haar couldn’t believe it.
“I didn’t think it was going to be this big deal,” Haar said. “The hall holds 900, and every seat in that place was filled. You’re on stage, and you have four stories of boxes right off the wings.”
A special moment during the concert came when Haar played a chorinho (a Brazilian rhythm) called “1x0.”
“The people went nuts,” Haar said.
Neves said, “People were so impressed that Dr. Haar can play anything, even a chorinho, so well.”
Haar was impressed with what music means to Brazilians.
“This is now the second international location that I’ve gone to and been overwhelmed to see a public that just can’t live without music and the arts,” Haar said. “I somehow got the impression they get it a little better than we do.”
In 2011, Haar and Associate Professor of Composition and Jazz Studies Eric Richards traveled to China to perform and give masterclasses at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
“I had an appreciation for what the world sees our country does for music when I left China in 2011,” Haar said. “But this is much deeper. In Brazil when I came out, and Nelson introduced me, and I saw that many people, it freaked me out.”
It also changed how he perceived his role.
“For the first couple of numbers, I was playing like I always do as a soloist, and you listen to me,” Haar said. “And then it dawned on me—I don’t know why or how—that the performer is serving the audience. It happened when we were playing a Tommy Newsom version of ‘Summer of ‘42’ by Michel Legrand. That was the piece I stopped playing to demonstrate, and the rest of the concert was more about doing what I had to do to make the audience happy. We can study it, we can appreciate it, we can put it on a pedestal, but it is still music that is supposed to entertain people. I think if we make that our primary focus, I think a lot more people are going to enjoy very complex music.”
He was also impressed with the curiosity of the musicians he played with in the Amazonia Jazz Band.
“When I saw accomplished players doing amazing things coming and asking me questions with such curiosity and such eagerness, it made me turn the mirror on myself,” Haar said. “Are you viewing things that organically and are you that hungry?”
Their enthusiasm was also impressive.
“I can’t remember the last time I played with a professional big band, and they were always smiling,” Haar said.
Neves appreciated Haar’s willingness to teach them, too.
“I think that for the jazz band it was eye opening to have such a master jazz musician not only play with them, but teach them so much during the masterclasses and performance,” Neves said. “It was so much fun for all of us.”
Haar would love to bring the Amazonia Jazz Band to Nebraska one day. The band has never traveled to the U.S.
“Not only do I think it would be a culturally enriching experience for people, but this is their dream—to play jazz in the United States,” Haar said. “I think we really take that for granted.”
Haar has asked some UNL student composers and alumni to share some of their compositions with the band.
“I want them to see that the fellowship is being reciprocated,” he said.
Haar knows the experience has changed him.
“This is yet another trip I’ve gone on where I thought, ‘I wonder how this is going to turn out?’ And you come back and say, ‘I’m not the same person when I left,’” Haar said. “There are just some incredible players down there, and it would be really great to have an exchange of ideas and people, if anything, just to make us smile and chill out a bit.”