No Capella Here

Voting for the third-annual Jumbo Audio Project began with one of the most popular songs of the year, Outkast's "The Way You Move," being used to test the audio levels, and ended with a handful of songs that almost no one had heard before.

True to its origins, the this year's Jumbo Audio Project CD is comprised of entirely original music by Tufts artists. The compilation is put together by a panel of voters who choose the songs based solely on the music -- artists names and track titles were not given.

Most of the people who sat hunched around the stereo that night were these selfsame artists, here to cast a vote for their own track. The Jumbo Audio Project received 30 entries this year -- more than ever before -- and more than could possibly fit on a single disc. Artists, Jumbo Audio Project members, and the random supportive friend were all asked to select their 15 favorite tracks. The 20 tracks with the most votes made the CD.

After the voting is completed, the Jumbo Audio Project members not only design the cover and liner notes but also master the CD themselves before sending it off to an outside company to be manufactured. Three to four weeks later the Project has their own CD which they sell at the Campus Center and through personal contacts. All this is done in an effort to "get the word out" -- as Schilling puts it -- about Tufts original music scene.

So what can you expect to hear after purchasing the CD?

"We get submissions of all types, including rap, rock, folk, techno, and funk. We even have a track on the CD this year that's in Spanish," says Jack Schilling, a Jumbo Audio Project assistant co-chair.

Those expecting to hear semi-competent amateurs on the CD will be pleasantly surprised to find that most of the featured artists are on contract and just a signature away from a Clear Channel playlist or a small but devoted cult following; whatever your personal conception of musical success happens to be. A band like bunk 9, for example, seems destined for the roster of a reputable indie label, especially since their entry, the angular but poppy "Stereotypical," is better than most of the stuff said labels have been releasing recently.

There is no lack of more bizarre tracks. Take, for example, Alan Cohen's remarkable "Osiko," which begins with a Japanese mantra before suddenly stopping and launching into a chorus of hums. It's the kind of wild experiment that shouldn't work but somehow, inexplicably, does, making it all the more impressive.

Listeners looking for a good laugh and to get in touch with their Tuftonian heritage should look no further than 'lil Sinskee's party-ready "Jumbo Thug," a hip-hop track that manages to namecheck every dorm and dinning hall on campus before insisting that "If you're reppin' Larry Bacow, just throw it up!"

Then there's Power Trio Jackson who see the Jumbo Audio Project as a minor step on their quest to get famous overseas. Their track, "One with the Funk," is a self-described "in your face song about smoking weed."

Just remember, when they finally do make it big, the Jumbo Audio Project CD is going to make a nice collector's item.

Jordan Kolasinski, a member of Tufts band Redshift 6, started the Jumbo Audio Project in 2001 to unify the school's original music scene. This was no easy feat given that the Tufts campus is renowned more for its a cappella groups than garage bands. To this day, the only type of music the Jumbo Audio Project won't put on their CD is a cappella.

"The reason for this is that when Jumbo Audio Project started, the only music that really had a foothold at Tufts was a cappella," explains Schilling. "We wanted to give something to the original artists."

The CD has given students a rare and often surprising glimpse into what their more musically-inclined peers have been up to when they're not at Brown and Brew's open-mic night or playing the basement of a frat.

Don't buy the Jumbo Audio Project for the novelty. Don't buy it because the guy who plays bass on track three happens to sit next to you in Economics. Buy it because when he's not sitting there, he's making great music.