If Jim Bovinette had his way, Ames’ streets would be flooded with jazz music.

“I’d like to take jazz music out of the concert hall and into the streets of Ames,” Bovinette said. But he will have to settle with the concert hall for now.

The ISU Jazz Ensembles will perform for the first time this year tonight at The Music Hall Recital Hall.

Bovinette, director of the jazz ensembles said, “If you can’t dance to it, I don’t want to play it.”

He said the two ensembles will play some traditional jazz music, but also rhythm, blues and funk-type music. The concert will include extended drum solos.

Bovinette said jazz is centered around improvisation, and teaching improvisation is an art. Bovinette added that jazz is an entity all its own. “Words can’t express jazz music,” he said. “That’s what jazz is all about.”

Bovinette said the groups will play a few pieces and, if the crowd isn’t responding well, the jazz groups will change their emphasis to different music.

“Jazz songs have a tendency to do things that you don’t expect them to do,” he said.

For instance, Bovinette said a popular group like the Grateful Dead has something in common with jazz.

Although the CDs a person may buy don’t normally entail 45 minute instrumentals, it is not uncommon to have long, unplanned instrumentals during concerts.

The entertainment will begin with Latin music, consisting of straight ahead jazz, and progress to music from the big band era.

The ensembles are separated into two groups of 18 students. The second jazz ensemble will begin the concert and set the stage for the first ensemble.

The first ensemble is more experienced than the second Bovinette said.

Over 70 new students tried out for the two bands this year, but only 36 make the ensembles. Therefore, Bovinette said, the caliber of players is better than ever before.

The jazz ensembles will perform for free tonight at 7:30 p.m.