Jazz Combo
The Jazz Combo is a university ensemble dedicated to the exploration of jazz improvisation in a small group setting. Students in the Jazz Combo are members of the university community who perform on a regular basis on campus as well as in professional engagements in the Oklahoma City metro area.
Jazz Orchestra
The Jazz Orchestra is an ensemble dedicated to the big band jazz tradition including Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Stan Kenton, Bob Brookmeyer, and many others, in which students learn and perfect the techniques of playing in a large jazz ensemble. Audition for both groups is open to all OCU students regardless of major or experience. Improvisation experience is not required to audition.
Jazz Faculty
Vince Norman, the son of big band saxophonist Ray Norman who played with the bands of Claude Thornhill and Charlie Barnett and with Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, has been exposed to music all his life. First introduced to jazz by his Junior High band director, Paul Brewer, Vince was offered his first gig with the Rick Swyden Big Band while still in high school and has been going non-stop ever since. Originally from Del City, Oklahoma, Vince spent a large portion of his professional career in the Washington DC area both as a freelance musician and as a member of The U.S. Army Field Band, where he first served as a saxophonist with “The Jazz Ambassadors” and later as a member of the arranging staff. Vince has played concert tours in Europe, Japan, India, Mexico, and Canada and has played in all 50 states except Alaska. He has performed with such notables as Arturo Sandoval, Clark Terry, Phil Woods, Dave Samuels, Paquito de Rivera, Butch Miles, Marvin Hamlisch, Toots Thielmans, Marvin Stamm, Jamey Aebersold, Hal Linden, Bill Watrous, The Four Tops, The Temptations, and Joan Rivers. He has also performed with the National Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, and with the Cincinnati Pops at several venues including Carnegie Hall.
Vince has written numerous pieces for jazz ensemble as well as several orchestral pops commissions for the internationally known Capitol Saxophone Quartet. He performs extensively in the Oklahoma City area on saxophone and keyboards as well as playing either keyboards or drums at church each week. Vince also works as the assistant band director at Oklahoma Christian School and as an adjunct jazz professor at both Oklahoma Christian University and Oklahoma City University. Vince has released two CDs on OA2 Records as co-leader of the Vince Norman/Joe McCarthy Big Band, "Words Cannot Express" and "Bright Future". He has also written for, performed, and recorded with the Latin jazz group, Afro Bop Alliance with which he played on the 51st Grammy Award Nominated and 9th Latin Grammy Award-winning collaboration with Dave Samuels' Caribbean Jazz Project simply entitled "Afro Bop Alliance." Vince’s most recent release as a leader, “Sphericality,” is available through all the main streaming services. Vince is a Cannonball Musical Instruments endorsing artist.
