Passion and all that jazz Jayne Nixon and Rachael Jacob Staff Reporters He is considered an expert as a jazz ensemble player, and receives many phone calls to perform several times per week. He is David Schmidt, music instructor at Glendale Community College. This is Schmidt’s ninth year teaching at GCC, and he has accomplished much. His latest achievement is the production of a CD played by GCC Big Bands and the jazz combo. It will be released at a concert March 8, 7:30 p.m., at the Performing Arts Center. “When students give back in accomplishments what I have given them, I feel the energy,” Schmidt said of GCC jazz students, who have placed 2nd at the Fullerton Jazz Festival 3 years in a row. As part of his involvement , Schmidt created the “combos,” a group of jazz students who play on a less formal level than the Big Band groups. He has also improved and expanded the improvisation classes. After all this, he finds time to critique and recruit high school students - all important for a good program. It is experiences like these that keep Schmidt dedicated to teaching. Schmidt had the honor of playing the National Anthem at a Phoenix Suns vs. Utah Jazz game and can be seen Sunday nights at Beeloe’s Underground, a nightclub in Tempe.While performing, Schmidt enjoys the spontaneity, improvisation, and creativity among each player and the audience. “I’ll never be happy with [my performance],” Schmidt said. “I haven’t arrived where I want to be.” Despite his personal criticisms he loves “to move [the audience] musically. It is interactive and fascinating to create a product that moves them intelligently.” Interestingly enough, Schmidt didn’t begin playing the saxaphone in the 4th grade because of the music alone. “[I] picked it because that’s what my sister’s boyfriend played, and I thought he was cool,” He said. After years of practice and hard work, he earned a music scholarship at Arizona State University and a Masters degree in saxophone. Currently, he is not only committed to his music and his students, but to his family and “being a dad.” Being passionate about life’s work is such an achievement. Listen to David Schmidt’s music and know the truth of this in his life.