Soul Teach: Mike Eben

Picture yourself on the second floor of a forgotten pub overlooking a main strip dotted with busy shops and eateries. Far above the daily foot traffic, the air is filled with a cacophony of musical sounds; in an offset corner of the club, there resides a piece of jazz orchestra stacked like sardines on teetering plywood risers. The attendance is mostly made up of longtime friends and family, enjoying first-class seating for a bank-crushing

Mike Eben: Last Big Band at Building 24

door charge of 7 dollars a head. There, the Last Big Band seemed to stand defiantly as an infinitesimal monolith. As the doorman for this timeless scene, I felt like the gatekeeper to an antique age; the table dimensions of my high-top place-setting defined the edge of known comfort. Beyond the threshold, lie veins pumped with extraordinary passion, and men who were set on paving passages and corridors through life's mazes. From within the The Last Big Band ranks a certain Reading saxophonist and educator, Mike Eben, working to keep his passions alive.

For Mike Eben, jazz is an essential element in music education. Jazz and blues are the basic components of all things Pop, so going to the source is important for him. Alongside a long history in music education, Eben has been an active participant in jazz, even contributing his own arrangements and compositions. Currently, Eben leads the Reading-based group, From the Hip, with which he has recently released the album "Old's Cool". As an educator and musician, Mike Eben has taken it into his hands to share the wonders of jazz with people of all ages in the Reading area. A retired Mulenburg Educator and adjunct professor at Albright College, Mike Eben has devoted his career to enriching Berks County students through music. His commitment to showcasing students has given him a unique spotlight in the Berks County art community. From spearheading projects such as

Reading Music Foundation (RMF) "Project Penske" Jazz Jams, to teaching music history at the Berks

2018 Berks Jazz Fest RMF Jam

Heim nursing home, Mike Eben has been steadfast in his goal to spread awareness of jazz in all corners of Reading. Using the spaces of public schools, the RMF "Project Penske" jams provide an opportunity for student musicians to play as part of an improvised professional group. Each jam features professional groups that provide master-level instruction for young musicians in attendance. Oftentimes, the instruction would be administered as a one-on-one during the live rehearsals. At the end of each session, students would have tangible projects for means to improve. By the end of the jam, all in attendance will have attempted improvising for a live audience with a group comprised of strangers, playing tunes completely new to them. It is not an overstatement to say Mike Eben is experienced as organizing small miracles for Berks County youth.

Yet, the RMF jazz jams are but a small slice of Eben's... semi-retirement. While at Albright College he booked his Big Cat Jazz Band at Reading's historic Abraham Lincoln Hotel for a jazz brunch hour during the 2015 Berks Jazz Fest. Then for the 2017 Berks Jazz Fest The Big Cats played for the debut week of Reading's Double-Tree Hotel. Eben maintains a professional standard for his students and seeks to encourage self-discipline, even in one's hobbies.

Swing State: 2017 Berks Jazz Fest

The peer-led small combo-group Swing State formed itself as a branch of the Albright jazz program. This band was comprised of Ben Formen, David Vargas, Fred Pirollo, and me. With Eben's endorsement, Swing State was hired by the Goggle Works to play during their 2017 Berks Jazz Fest art exposition. Needless to say, Berks County is fortunate to have such a committed musician and teacher as part of its community.

As part of WXAC 91.3 FM it has been a pleasure to feature Mike Eben as a guest in the studio. Stay tuned for more great interviews with Reading, PA, local artists and creatives!