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Renowned musical director and pianist who ran the late night TV music scene for over 50 years will visit OU alongside the avant-funk quartet he is in.
Longtime musical director for David Letterman, Paul McCartney, the first five years of SNL and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Paul Shaffer will share this experience with students while at OU April 21-22.
Shaffer’s visit is a part of OU’s Resonance Series, where music professionals are invited to do concerts, masterclasses and Q&A sessions.
OU School of Music Administrative Coordinator and professor Eric Walschap founded the Resonance Series in 2020 to introduce students to industry specialists.
“The main goal is exposing everyone to different music styles and people, as this series tries to feature diverse people and genres, styles that wouldn’t normally be a part of a music student’s curriculum, or for non-music students, being introduced to the music and success,” Walschap said.
The Resonance Series has featured influential figures from the music industry such as Taylor Swift’s musical director, David Cook, and the Super Sonic Shorties, an all girl group led by Beyonce’s former drummer, Nikki Glaspie.
“Every single guest we’ve had has done something insane,” Walschap said. “Even the least interesting person we’ve had still has real industry experience I can’t teach. Every Resonance Series guest has had some random incredible backstory like working with Kanye West.”
OU School of Music director Jonathan Nichol thought the idea for the Resonance Series was special from the start.
“How cool is it that we’re providing access to Grammy-winning nationally recognized artists for our current students at university,” Nichol said.
Another aspect of the Resonance Series that Nichol loves is the opportunities students have to collaborate with the stars.
“We have conversations about what the future of this program looks like. How can we get experienced people to interact and perform with our students?” Nichol said. “The Resonance Series does that. When Paul Shaffer comes, he’s going to play “Soul Man” with our OU jazz band. We have people at the top of the music industry that are collaborating with our students.”
Walschap and the committee who chooses the Resonance Series guests invited Shaffer because of his extensive experience, industry knowledge and talent.
“Shaffer has probably played with more superstars than any living person, playing over 6,000 shows with Letterman,” Walschap said. “He started the Blues Brothers, he was in a band with Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. You couldn’t find someone with more experience to pass on.”
Shaffer visiting OU is a monumental Resonance Series event due to his notoriety and fame, with Nichol saying that he grew up watching and listening to Shaffer on TV.
“For people that were watching the late night shows in the ‘90s and 2000s, he was an icon of the comedy and the music on those shows,” Nichol said. “And he’s going to be able to speak about those experiences and share them with our Norman and Oklahoma City arts community.”
Nichol said that Shaffer has valuable knowledge and experience to share that shouldn’t be missed, even for those who don’t know who he is.
“Shaffer brought blues music to the mainstream with his work on television,” Nichol said. “Even if you’re not into the music, these musicians were students just like the ones here. They show how hard work matters.”
The Resonance Series was created by Walschap to cater towards everyone, not just music majors, and he also wishes more people took advantage of the events.
“The lessons these professionals share are not just within music,” Walschap said. “They are of perseverance and how to excel in your area. Everyone can take something away from it, even if they just want to hear from someone who knows their favorite superstar.”
Flyer for Quantum Blue’s OU visit.
Flyer provided
Shaffer’s visit will also mark the premiere of the avant-funk group he is in, the Quantum Blues.
The group’s other members include two-time Grammy-winning drummer Will Calhoun, decorated bass player and composer Jamaaladeen Tacuma and extreme jazz guitarist Tisziji Muñoz.
“These musicians are all incredibly talented and have insane careers just like Shaffer,” Walschap said. “Their performance at OU will be groundbreaking.”
The quartet’s visit, with other Resonance Series events, are looked forward to by students as they enjoy the opportunity to hear from industry professionals.
Freshman music education major Meagan Hurt has attended Resonance Series events since joining the school of music and likes how these events feature professionals and different music styles.
“It’s nice to hear from people who are actually in the music industry and have different backgrounds,” Hurt said. “In the school of music, it’s mostly classical, but the people who come talk to us are from all different styles of music.”
Hurt says she hasn’t gotten to explore other aspects of music besides singing and teaching, so the Resonance Series gives her the chance to hear from professionals in other parts of the music industry.
“I love how the Resonance Series gives us opportunities to hear from people who do different things in music besides play or teach,” Hurt said. “I’m a vocalist, but I have an interest in production, and we recently had a producer named Tre Nagella come talk to us, which was really cool.”
Shaffer’s visit to OU is heavily anticipated because of his connection to superstars and pop culture.
“He seems like a guy who has a ton of experience and has met a lot of people and I think it will be interesting to hear about his side of things,” Hurt said. “I’ve seen SNL and know who David Letterman is, so it’s so cool to hear from someone who worked for them.”
Shaffer and the Quantum Blues Quartet will be at OU April 21-22. The full schedule for their visit and all upcoming Resonance Series events is available online.
This story was edited by Madisson Cameron. Gretchen Schultz and Sophie Hemker copy edited this story.
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