Student volunteer crews build Jazz Fest overnight
The energy in the air was palpable as a group of University of Idaho students gathered in a dimly lit, dusty building near campus Tuesday night. The clock read 10:15 p.m. — the night shift had officially begun.
Surrounded by drum kits and music stands, the students circled around one man who thrust a bottle into the air and announced, “On the count of three, we chant, we chug!”
When he finished the count down, chants and cries of excitement echoed throughout the building before the students threw back their heads and gulped down bottled Starbucks Frappuccinos.
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UI’s student volunteer night crew gather in the Ambassador Subaru dealership at 10 p.m. Tuesday night to prepare for the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival.
According to Jake Snarr, a music education and theory major, chanting and chugging Frappuccinos is part of the nightly ritual for the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival’s student night crew — a volunteer group who meet at 10 p.m. throughout the week of Jazz Fest to assemble, transport and arrange equipment for performances throughout the city.
Snarr, a junior at UI, said he took on the position of a driver this year, his third year of being a part of the crew.
“All of the volunteers have a huge work load, but once you move up to being a driver it becomes double the responsibility,” Snarr said. “You drive the moving trucks, manage a team and oversee the set up of your assigned sites.”
The volunteers are divided into four teams and each team is assigned to a truck, Snarr said.
Snarr’s team, the Dodos, consists of UI students Daniel Butcher, Neil Paterson, Adrian DeVries and Byron Flood.
According to Snarr, all of the volunteers pick a theme each year and name their teams according to it as a part of their ritual.
“The Dodos, the Screaming Eagles, the Night Hawks … we went with a bird theme this year,” Flood said.
Paterson, a sophomore at UI, said the night crew operates under an organized system because of the sheer number of instruments and equipment they’re tasked to handle.
Snarr said the equipment is ordered and sent to a vacant building that has been rented by the university to be assembled before transport. The equipment can range from pianos to drum sets to music stands — whatever Jazz Fest needs for its upcoming performances.
Snarr said transportation nights can take longer than other nights because after the teams unload their trucks, they must double-check inventory and conduct final sweeps of the designated performance rooms.
Butcher, a sophomore, said each night of Jazz Fest holds something new.
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Various instruments that Idaho’s student crew will set up throughout campus late Tuesday night in prepation for the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival.
“The first night we assemble the equipment and the second night we transport it to designated locations,” Butcher said. “On the third night we’ll arrange the equipment in the room so everything is ready for the performers.”
Butcher said although their nights always begin at 10 p.m., there is no guarantee as to what time they will end.
“Last Saturday, we were up until 4 a.m. assembling drum kits to be ready for transportation,” Butcher said. “It’s hard work, but it’s also really rewarding.”
Paterson said he first became involved with the festival after he declared himself a percussion minor.
“If you’re a percussionist, it’s almost a rite of passage to join the night crew,” Paterson said. “The night crew was presented to me as a volunteer opportunity. I didn’t even know what the Jazz Fest was at the time, and it turned out to be a great experience.”
Paterson said his favorite part about being a member of the night crew is contributing to Jazz Fest in a unique way.
“We build the drum kits, which is cool because you get to build and then play something that’s never been played before,” Paterson said. “Then you hand it over to someone else who is this prestigious musician, so it’s a good feeling, being the person to give them the tools they need to perform.”
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Student crew member Sam Gentzler (right) grabs some pizza before the crew starts setting up for the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival on Tuesday night.
DeVries, a senior, said he was first drawn to the night crew because of the free Jazz Fest tickets UI allocates to volunteers.
He said the work wasn’t as taxing as he expected and it doesn’t disrupt his sleep schedule much either.
“Working with the crew until 4 a.m. and waking up for classes isn’t much different than practicing until 2 a.m. and waking for classes,” DeVries said. “The experience makes it all worth it anyway.”
Flood, a senior, said there is a lot more to gain from volunteering than free Jazz Fest tickets.
“You get free tickets, but above that it’s a really great experience,” Flood said. “The best part is that you get a behind the scenes look at the festival.”
Flood said although the nights are long, the crew finds ways to stay energetic and excited to be involved.
“We try to keep our spirits up, since they get kind of down towards the end of the week,” Flood said. “It’s alright though, we always chug Frappuccinos together and build each other up … We make it work.”
Snarr said despite the hard work that goes into being a member of Jazz Fest’s night crew, the group’s nightly rituals and the close bonds they’ve formed make the experience worth it.
“Really, the camaraderie is the best part of the night crew,” Snarr said. “There’s a lot of manual labor for hours late at night, but the work never gets old because of how excited everyone is.”
Corrin Bond can be reached at [email protected]