Webster Hall Auditorium was set ablaze with Cuban Fire, Nov. 11.

Cuban Fire is a term coined by the Stan Kenton Orchestra in the late 1930s, early 1940s. It started when Kenton would combine big band music, “that was traditionally swing and would add a Latin flavor to it,” said Dr. Phillip Wise, head of the music department and director of jazz studies.

“He was the first, maybe the only big band up until maybe 20 years ago that would include ethnic styles; Latin, Cuban music,” Wise said. “When he first started writing music for the big band with Cuban style, it was nicknamed Cuban Fire, because it had so much energy to it.”

Kenton released an album with the name Cuban Fire, and the term stuck ever since. Wise said when people think about Kenton and his music, they think about the Cuban Fire style of music.

The first song performed by the Missouri Southern Jazz Orchestra was titled “Malaguena,” which was written for and performed by the Stan Kenton Orchestra.

It featured special guest soloist Michael Spiro. Spiro has performed with such artists as Ella Fitzgerald, Carlos Santana and Mark Levine.

“Malaguena” also featured Matt Godsey on alto sax, Chelsea Garrison on trombone and mellophonists Kate Chandler, Annette Cross, Nick Gilmore and Michael Gilliland.

“That’s a real strong example of Cuban Fire or that kind of intensity in music,” he said. “A very powerful piece of music. We just wanted something to open up the concert that would wake everyone up and get them going. That’s what that piece does.”

After “Malaguena,” the orchestra performed “81,” which was written by Miles Davis and his bassist Ron Carter. “81” fuses jazz, swing, funk and reggae.

He said a portion of the piece was left to the rhythm section to create the mood for the piece.

To follow up the Davis song was “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” The song was arranged for Maynard Ferguson in the early 1970s. It featured Matt Cameron on trumpet. To end the first part of the show was “Who’s Sorry Now.” Wise said the song is a “standard straight-ahead swing tune.”

“It’s very representative of the styles we’ve done throughout my tenure director of the band,” he said.

Josh Zimmer, sophomore undecided major, said he thought the show was the “most eclectic programming the jazz ensemble has done so far.”

“It’s really breaking away from the typical swing styles,” Zimmer said.

“You hear recordings of that (“Malaguena”) your whole life, basically, but it never beats hearing it up close and personal. You really connect to it on a much more personal level when you hear it live instead of on a recording.”

He said hearing the song live was a “treat” for everyone.

It wasn’t the Cuban Fire that caused the heat that made the orchestra members remove their jackets after intermission, it was the standing room only crowd in the auditorium. With their jackets off, the Jazz Orchestra returned to the stage to play the world premiere of “Cubaneando.”

“Cubaneando” was commissioned by the Institute of International Studies nine months ago when it was decided to include the Jazz Orchestra in the Cuba Semester.

Originally, Dr. Chad Stebbins, director of the Institute of International Studies, approached Jeremy Kushner, director of percussion studies, about bringing in a Cuban percussionist. Kushner suggested the percussionist perform with the Jazz Orchestra during its fall concert.

When the suggestion was told to Wise, he said he would enjoy being a part of the Cuban Semester.

Wise said he picked Robert Washut to write “Cubaneando” because Washut is a “prolific composer, and I think one of the top three big-band composers that write for Latin jazz.”

“He’s very highly touted and has written for several top quality professional groups all around the world,” he said.

“Knowing of him, knowing him and knowing the work he puts out, he was my first choice.”

Wise said he was pleased with the way the song came out, especially when he received the conductor’s score in September.

During the summer, Washut would call Wise to find out the different strengths of the band, this is how Washut was able to give Wise exactly what he wanted out of the piece, he said. There was one thing Washut included in the song that Wise was not expecting.

“The little vocal part in that, I had no clue he was going to write that,” Wise said.

“It was a nice touch. It fit our band to a T, and I think it is a wonderful piece of music that will be published by the University of Northern Colorado Jazz Press, sometime in the next month or two.”

“Cubaneando” brought back Spiro to the stage. Spiro had a solo in the song.

After “Cubaneando,” Spiro performed solo with a song he wrote himself titled “Lucumi Inventions.”

Spiro played on four congas with two cowbells set on foot pedals and one shaker that was positioned on a high-hat stand.

Spiro said the song was reminiscent of African slave songs when they were first shipped to Cuba.

Instead of singing in Spanish, Spiro sang in Lucumi, which was the language of some of the slaves.

“I played OK, I could have played better,” Spiro said. “Some nights you play better than others.”

He said playing with the Jazz Orchestra as part of the Cuba Semester was the best part of playing with them.

“I really like the fact that recognizes that the world is not divided up into subjects, but the world is divided up into humans,” Spiro said. “Some humans play music, some humans are into politics, some humans are into biology and some humans are into music and some people are into religion.”

Damon Graue, sophomore sociology major and one of the two drummers for the band said it was great having a guest soloist at the concert because the soloist would push the band to another level “above where Dr. Wise has taken us from where we were five years ago.”

“He (Spiro) is such an incredible player, it’s hard to fathom the things that he does,” Graue said.

“When he’s taking a solo and you’re playing with him, you literally can’t listen to him because of the extremely complex rhythms that he plays.

He toys with the time so much, which is what he is supposed to do, but it makes our job extra difficult because it makes us count.”

The next song was “Another Day Another Chance,” which was another swing style tune.

The last song was a samba that also featured Spiro along with Godsey on alto saxophone, Garrison on trombone, Cameron on trumpet, Paul Equiha, Joel Thomas on piano, Tom Smith on trumpet and Brandon Pearce on guitar.

The concert will be aired at 9 p.m. Dec. 14 on KGCS. Audience members enjoyed Spiro’s playing.

“There’s not much I can say about Michael Spiro, except he’s a genius,” Zimmer said.

“He said he can produce 20 pitches per drum. He’s such a melodic drummer, he really makes the drums sing. He’s just an inspiration to everybody here.”