'Winter Jazz Showcase' Concert is Nov. 16
JONESBORO – The jazz studies program at Arkansas State University will present the sixth annual “Winter Jazz Showcase,” on Thursday, Nov. 16, at 7:30 in Fowler Center’s Riceland Hall. Admission is free.
The showcase will feature performances by the two large ensembles, A-State Jazz Lab and the premier ensemble, A-State Jazz Orchestra, as well as the 10:00 Small Group and 11:00 Small Group. The music runs the gamut from dance band music from the legendary swing era to exciting fresh sounds of today’s jazz, according to Dr. Ken Carroll, director of jazz studies.
The 10:00 Small Ensemble will open the show with music of Kenny Dorham, Charles Mingus and Wayne Shorter. The pieces will feature the improvisational talents of the two trumpets, saxophones and flute.
The Lab Band will follow with a Latin arrangement by Tom Kubis titled “Song For My Father.” The evening continues with Jeff Jarvis’s fusion tune, “Eye On the Prize.” Arkansas native jazz artist Michael Medrick, from the Delta Jazz Workshop staff, arranged a Thad Jones tune for the band, “Quietude,” a swing-era romantic melody.
The 11:00 Small Ensemble will perform during the set change. They will present works by Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson and Bonfi.
Following the small ensemble, the Jazz Orchestra will dig into Thad Jones’s classic swinger “Groove Merchant,” a great showcase for the talented improvisers, Carroll said, adding the band really loves the Chris Walden composition “Arturo,” dedicated to Cuban trumpet virtuoso, Arturo Sandoval.
The band will play another chart by Thad Jones, “Cherry Juice,” which features the saxophone section. The classic arrangement is an old-fashioned straight-ahead shuffle with a great feel.
The high point of the evening will be “But Beautiful,” a lush beautiful piece arranged by Bill Holman and written for the NBC Tonight Show Orchestra. This piece features talented tenor saxophonist Tyler Remagen from Rector.
"Remember, Jazz is America’s music. Come out to the show, enjoy an evening of exciting music performed by world class artists, and support your country’s most important export: jazz," Carroll continued.
For more information about this concert or any other A-State music event, one may contact the Music Department at (870) 972-2094.
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