Story By: Elise Kidd
MONTEVALLO, Ala. — The University of Montevallo’s jazz ensemble doesn’t always have a lead vocalist but for the past two years, they have.
Dr. Joe Ardovino, director of the UM jazz ensemble, explained that in his 34 years at UM, he’s held auditions for the vocalist position. However, these past couple of years have been a bit different.
Since Fall 2022, the position has instead been filled by one vocalist who, according to Dr. Ardovino, was put on his radar due to her talent and a familial connection to the ensemble.
Madison Smith is a junior double major in music and mass communication. Within the music department, she has a concentration in vocal performance and studies under the studio of Dr. Melanie Williams.
Her father, Christopher Smith, is a UM alum, and Madison credits some of her love of music to him. While a student, he played in the jazz ensemble and is now a band director at Cullman High School, which is where Madison started singing jazz.
“I started my jazzy journey when I was a vocalist with my high school jazz band. I started out as a feature vocalist and then as I got older, I became the lead vocalist, and realized that was something I really wanted to do,” said Madison. “When I was searching for colleges, I found Montevallo to have one of the better jazz ensembles in the state.”
Madison said she looked at other schools, but most of their jazz ensembles tended to lean into more classic jazz. UM’s jazz ensemble however experiments with the music they play, tackling ones like rock, funk, mambo and more. That experimentation is at the core of why Madison loves jazz as a genre.
“You can listen to a jazz piece and it can sound one way on one night, and then you go see the same band, even just the next night, and it can sound completely different,” said Madison. “Jazz is completely up to your interpretation, and it’s up to the ensemble to kind of set the vibe. That’s something I really enjoy within music.”
While Madison does love structure, she said getting to sing with the jazz ensemble can be very freeing and fun, due to the nature of the genre. She even cited that the breakdown of walls is what she needs.
“When I saw how free and connected to open jazz UM’s ensemble was, I knew this was where I needed to be,” said Madison.
The UM jazz ensemble has had other vocalists over the years who boast impressive resumes — ranging from features in New York, London and California. However, there is a reason the offer of vocalist for Madison’s freshman year soon extended to her sophomore, and now junior year, with Dr. Ardovino not holding auditions for this season.
Madison may be the best all-around singer and entertainer we’ve had. Her combination of vocal style, pitch accuracy and stage presence are captivating.”
Dr. Joe Ardovino, UM Jazz Ensemble Director
The talent Dr. Ardovino sees in Madison has also been noticed by others, and her role as lead vocalist has opened many doors for her.
She was able to perform with the UM jazz ensemble at the Festa Italiana in Birmingham last summer. Multiple radio stations were there, as well as other music professionals.
The networking Madison was able to complete there then led to an invitation to be a guest vocalist for a professional ensemble, the Birmingham Super Jazz Band, this February.
“I really have to thank Dr. Ardovino. […] He has really helped nurture me, and help me grow, as a musician, as a vocalist and has instilled a lot of confidence in me to network and to be a professional vocalist,” said Madison.
If you’d like to get a chance to hear Madison perform live with the UM Jazz Ensemble, their next performance is Tuesday, April 15 at 7 p.m. in Palmer Auditorium. Admission is free.
Vallo Vision News 