Oberlin Portrait: Andrea Lindborg Story by Michael Chipman
	EXCERPTS Andrea Lindborg, Jazz Trumpet Senior Recital Excerpt #1: "Loverman" by Andrea Lindborg 56K | ISDN (3:00) Andrea Lindborg, trumpet, with: Zack Pride, double bass Jason Brown, drums Tai Collins, vocals Burny Pelsmajor, piano Excerpt #2: "Giocanda's Smile" by Andrea Lindborg, who says the tune "was inspired by mysterious smiles." 56K | ISDN (2:34) Andrea Lindborg, trumpet with: same as above except Tai Collins Tom Bencivengo, also sax Kelly Roberge, tenor sax News and features about the Conservatory Preview CD's released by faculty, staff & students Past articles from the Oberlin Portrait		Andrea Lindborg, a senior jazz trumpet performance major from the Marshall Islands studies with Kenny Davis, teacher of jazz ensemble and trumpet Andrea Lindborg, a senior jazz trumpet major from the Marshall Islands plays the trumpet because she says "for me, playing comes closest to what it's all about -- being able to somehow reach people and still express yourself. I love the beauty of the discipline, the mastery of craft and learning to use it in a creative way. And, to do that with a bunch of musicians -- to develop the sensitivity to play with a bunch of musicians -- that is really cool." Lindborg's native Marshall Islands lie south of Hawaii in Micronesia, halfway between Hawaii and Japan. So how does a girl from the South Pacific land in northern Ohio? "I came here sort of randomly," says Lindborg. "I left the Islands my senior year of high school to study music at Interlochen. My band director at home told me about Interlochen, so I went there, liked it and stayed for the whole year. While there I heard about Oberlin. "Back then I wasn't sure if I was going to study music. I was interested in the humanities, and I heard Oberlin was a good liberal arts school. I also heard that the jazz department was great. I wasn't sure about the Ohio part," she laughs. "But, it's been good. It's been surprising to me that I have participated as much as I have. Oberlin has been an amazing experience." Andrea Lindborg performing with the Oberlin Jazz Ensemble Lindborg just finished her senior recital (see audio files for excerpts). "I'm so relieved," she says. "That recital was a lot of fun. I ended up writing most of it. I wrote all the tunes, except for three, but I arranged those. I've just starting composing." Lindborg says she writes most of her tunes for people in her life. "One was for my grandpa, about the time I spent with him this summer. I also wrote a ballad for a friend of mine who came out for the recital. I arranged a couple tunes from Gershwin's 'Porgy and Bess' because I really like them, but most often, I write tunes for people. Other projects in Lindborg's life include performing with Oberlin Jazz Ensemble this semester, writing songs for Latinos in the Arts -- music based on Argentine tangos -- and more jazz. Until this year she was a double major in art history but says, "I just realized it wasn't what I really wanted to do. I wanted to have more time to practice." This summer Lindborg hopes to work on a cruise ship to "save up some money then move to New York. There's a couple of people I'd like to hook up with and perform there. Then perhaps go to grad school in composition. Right now I'm ready for sun. Send me south!" What is your first memory of music? Music was always part of the atmosphere while I was growing up, whether it was the sounds of my dad and his friends playing the guitar, listening to old blues records or dancing to salsa music, it subtly saturated my life since before I can remember. How old were you when you started musical training? I took a few piano and trumpet lessons growing up, but my first musical training didn't really occur until I was seventeen and left the Islands to try to study music. What inspired you to be a musician? What keeps you inspired on discouraging days? It just grabbed me. The first time I heard a recording of Miles Davis I was beside myself, and from then on nothing could move me like jazz. The freedom and virtuosity and emotion and creativity involved -- whooee! It encompasses everything. What keeps me inspired when I'm discouraged is the love from my family and friends, and doing anything that takes me away from the frustrations of the technical aspect of playing and reminds me what I'm playing ABOUT. What is the most memorable performance you have ever seen and why? Probably a jam session at the Feve with trumpet player Matt Schulman, who had just graduated from Oberlin. Growing up in the middle of the Pacific, I was unaccustomed to hearing live jazz performances, especially by anyone near my age. Here was this guy who had just graduated who was doing things with the trumpet that I didn't know were possible! I was just blown away! And the fact that he had just come out of the process I was about to begin, it gave me a lot of determination and hope that I could get there too. If you could perform with one musician living or dead, who would it be and what would you perform? Louis Armstrong or John Coltrane, and we'd play whatever they wanted. If you could master another instrument, what would it be? Drums. If you couldn't be a musician what profession would you choose? Which profession would you definitely not choose? Maybe a stunt woman or a professional windsurfer ... or a spy! I definitely wouldn't choose an office job or work for a corporation. What do you listen to after a long day? John Coltrane "Ballads" or Miles Davis "ESP" What do you like to read? Tom Robbins, Pablo Neruda, Langston Hughes, Amiri Baraka, Julia Alvarez, Maya Angelou, Alice Walker Three words that describe you? Never on time! or always changing.