Ohio State Musicians Cut Album of School Favorites
An Ohio State music student and two recent alums are “mixing it up” when it comes to Ohio State school tunes, from Hang on Sloopy to Fight the Team.
Jon Lampley, a jazz studies major who will graduate next spring; Dan White, who graduated in jazz studies and music education last spring; and Chris Ott, who graduated two years ago, joined forces a few months ago to create a CD of newly arranged versions of Buckeye favorites.
“The CD will have seven tracks on it, including Fight the Team, Carmen Ohio, Seven Nation Army (the jumping song), and Hang on Sloopy,” says Lampley. “We took all the songs and rearranged them for sousaphone, saxophone, trombone, vocals, even beatboxing. It’s really been a blast, and we’ve learned so much.”
“Some of the songs will have a New Orleans feel, that kind of vibe,” he added. Others will have an orchestral feel, some even hip-hop.
The group recorded the songs in the School of Music’s new recording/production studio with the expert help of Mark Rubinstein, audio recording coordinator for the school’s Music, Media and Enterprise program. By late summer, the group was doing the mixing, obtaining licensing, and taking photos for the album so it would be ready for release by football season.
The three got the idea for the project last winter when they performed for the College of Arts and Sciences Winter College alumni event in Florida. They improvised some Buckeye favorites at a small dinner gathering and people loved it. “They wondered where they could buy the CD.”
The project is being funded with a summer research grant from the Undergraduate Research Office. The CD – titled Fight The Team – is expected to be available in campus area bookstores and gift shops, as well as through iTunes and Lampley’s website, jonlampleymusic.com.
Check out a video about the CD.
