At 7 p.m. Sunday, a crowd of regulars shuffled into the home of Professor R. Edward “Ed” Freeman. The University of Virginia's Darden School of Business is becoming the Darden School of Rock.
There, in the back room of an Albemarle County home, seven Darden comrades shocked the Monkees and School Smash Mouth with a raucous take on “I'm a Believer.”
Apparently, the only business on the syllabus tonight is sabotage, and the big test comes at the end of the year, on May 2nd, at the Darden Carnival.
The band is called Blues Jam, which is clearly a misnomer for a group of Darden students, faculty, family, and friends whose interests extend beyond a single genre. Founded in 2003, the band has played at weddings, school events, student events, opened for several professional bands, and even performed live at a venue or two. .
“The band is a little different every time. Sometimes it's a small tight ensemble, and other times it's a big group with horns,” says Mark Lipson, the Robert F. Vandel Professor of Management. “I think there's something to the overall idea of the relationship between music and quantitative things like business and finance. I don't think it would be surprising to see more musicians in business school.”
In his day job, Mr. Lipson studies how market design and organization affect price formation and liquidity. Tonight, he's riffing on a custom-built Sadowski jazz bass and pushing the groove with the band's longtime drummer, John Fitzhugh. John Fitzhugh graduated from the UVA McIntire School of Business and currently works for S&P Global.
“It's great to be part of a group that plays good music, but it's when we work with students, former students, staff and alumni that we really succeed,” Lipson says. “This is kind of an extension of bringing the Darden community into the world of music.”
R. Edward “Ed” Freeman, a university professor and Olson Professor of Business Administration and academic director of the Darden Institute for Social Business, plays keyboards and hosts rehearsals for the band he helped found. I am. (Photo courtesy of Clara Castle, University Press)
“Recently I tried to write down everyone who had ever played in the band, but of course I couldn't,” admits Freeman, co-founder and the band's right-hand piano man. “I think over the last 20 years, we've probably had 50 students play on the north side. We're open to just about anyone coming.”
Just ask saxophonist McGregor McCance, who was recently named editor-in-chief of Darden's communications and marketing division.
“I had just started a new job at Darden, and during my first visit with Ed Freeman, the topic of the Darden Band and our experience playing music came up,” he said, unable to attend rehearsals. McCance said in an email response. . “He has a lot more experience than I do, but he literally said, 'What are you doing this Friday?' I was a little nervous about showing up to his house and trying to play with him, but the musicians were very welcoming and gave me advice and encouragement. ”
Longtime band member and Robert F. Wandel Professor of Management Mark Lipson bottoms out the blues jams on a custom Sadowski jazz bass. (Photo courtesy of Clara Castle, University Press)
Sometimes it's the students who influence the band.
“I had a student named Tanesha Duncan, and she had an amazing voice,” says Freeman, the Olson Professor of Business Administration and academic director of the Darden Institute for Social Business. “She said, 'You know I have a tape you should bring to me. I've sung with this guy and he's won some Grammys, but… You've probably never heard of him.'' And I said, “Who is that?'' And she said, “This guy's name is John Legend.''
There are no slouches in the band's current lineup either.
“These guys are amazing. Skylar performed 150 shows a year for six years and is probably the only Darden student in our 57-year history to earn a bachelor's degree from Berklee College of Music,” Freeman said. To tell.
Darden alumnus Justin Masters serves as the Business School Band's first shredder. (Photo courtesy of Clara Castle, University Press)
Skyler is Skylar Clark Hamel, a 2023 MBA graduate currently pursuing a Ph.D. He joined Darden after 15 years of songwriting, recording, and working as a talent agent in Nashville. Tonight, he hits hard rhythms on his Guild acoustic guitar and sings lead vocals as lead guitarist Justin Masters belts out Buck Owens' “Act Naturally” on his Gibson Les Paul. There is.
“I've had the opportunity to open for great acts like the Goo Goo Dolls, Plain White Tees, and Daughtry. It was amazing,” Clark-Hamel says. “I ended up working on the business side as an agent in Nashville. And then I came to Darden.”
Clark-Hamel first heard about Blues Jam while applying to Darden.
“The interviewer asked, 'Have you ever heard of Ed Freeman?'” And I thought, “No, I don't know Ed,” he recalls. “The interviewer says, 'If you decide to come here, you should play in his band.'”
Student Aidan Connell sings the vocals for “Melt with You.” He came to Darden after struggling as a screenwriter in Los Angeles. This band rekindled his love of music, which he gained from his experience in musical theater.
“I got involved because of my fiancée, who is also part of the band,” he laughs. “She was incredibly talented and accomplished, which immediately caught my eye and drew me into this trajectory. I was thinking about not going to business school. I thought it was just going to be Excel and all that stuff. Boy, was I wrong.
The band goes all-in on funk with Dusty Springfield's hit “Son of a Preacher Man,” and Connell's fiancée Emily “Em” Benjamin proves her vocal talents. There is.
“In college, I belonged to a well-known a cappella group called Voices in Your Head,” she says. “When we got to Darden, there was a chorus called the Cold Coal Chorus, and I joined them. We sang this fun Christmas crossover between a cold call chorus and a blues jam, and we sang this song by Michael Bublé. I sang it with Skyler as Michael Bublé.
She was completely hooked.
UVA McIntire School of Commerce graduate John Fitzhugh was a mainstay of blues jam rhythm sections for many years. (Photo courtesy of Clara Castle, University Press)
The band continues playing. Adrian Keevil, who earned his MBA and PhD and is an adjunct professor at Darden University, expresses the rhythmic dynamics of “Tennessee Whiskey” with his vintage 1970 Gretsch Rock Jet and his electric guitar. I am. Bandmates agree that whatever their reasons for standing up and playing in public are difficult to understand.
They hypothesize that it could be something from their past.
“As a kid, when you find something that makes you feel special and fulfilled just by listening to it, you think, 'Well, maybe I can make other people feel that way, too.' “You would think so,” Clark-Hamel said. “And applause is always nice. It makes you feel like all your hard work has really paid off.”
“It's hard to believe now, but I grew up an evangelical,” Freeman says. “I played the piano in church, I played the organ. Music was a big part of growing up and it gave me a great feeling. I think just playing music makes you feel better. .”
This article originally appeared on UVA Today.
