NewsRelease

(Posted 2-19-04)
Contact: Tiffany Aumann, 336-334-5371

UNCG Jazz Presents a Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald

GREENSBORO – The Jazz Ensemble at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro will pay tribute to one of the leading ladies of jazz March 3 and 4, when it presents a condensed version of the new musical, “Ella – The Life and Music of Ella Fitzgerald.”

The musical weaves together vignettes of Fitzgerald’s life experiences with some of her most notable songs, including “I’m in the Mood for Love,” “Summertime,” “Blue Skies,” and “Tea for Two.” It was written by Gary Spell and features singer Norma Bass as the jazz icon.

Steve Haines, director of the Miles Davis Program in Jazz Studies at UNCG, arranged the music for the musical and will bring a shortened version of the show to UNCG. The world premiere of the full performance will take place Thursday through Sunday, Feb. 26-29, at the Regent University Performance Theatre in Virginia Beach.

The UNCG concerts will start at 7:30 p.m. in the School of Music Recital Hall. The first half of the concert will feature Steve Haines (bass), Tom Taylor (drums) and Keith Byrd (piano). The trio will be backing up Norma Bass, who will be acting and performing as Ella Fitzgerald. The second half of the show will feature Bass and the UNCG Jazz Ensemble.

For more information about the full-length musical, go to www.ellathemusical.com.  For tickets, call the UNCG box office at (336) 334-4849, weekdays from noon to 5 p.m.
 

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