By Tiffany Edwards , University Relations
The Jazz Ensemble will entertain audiences in the jazz capital of the world, New York City, in January.
The acclaimed 18-member group will perform Monday, Jan. 16, at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, part of the Lincoln Center.
The concert is part of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s “Upstarts!” program, which features up-and-coming artists at the Dizzy Club Coca-Cola on Monday nights. The jazz ensemble will perform at 7:30 p.m., preceding the WDR Big Band from Cologne, Germany.
The evening’s repertoire will include:
• “Ko-Ko” (Duke Ellington)
• “Rockin’ in Rhythm” (Duke Ellington)
• “Mental Images” (Robin Eubanks)
• “To You” (Thad Jones)
• “Katy-Do” (Benny Carter and the Count Basie Orchestra)
“It is very exciting to be playing at such a prestigious place,” said Steve Haines, director of the Miles Davis Jazz Studies Program. “It can be very insulating to be in Greensboro and playing jazz. The experience is part of the students’ learning curve and will help them realize they are small fish in a large pond – a pond that is bigger than they think.”
While playing at the Dizzy Club will certainly be a test of the students’ musical talent, the Jazz Ensemble will journey to New York with many successes already under its belt. The past several years have seen the UNCG group joined by famous names such as Dewey Redman, Ellis Marsalis, Fred Wesley, Robin Eubanks and others. In addition, its 2004 recording “Live with Dewey Redman” was recognized with the Blue Chip Jazz CD award from the Jazz Education Journal.
The trip marks the second time the UNCG School of Music has sent its jazz musicians to perform in New York City. The first time was in 1991, when the Jazz Ensemble played at Carnegie Hall during the Count Basie Jazz Festival.
For more information about the Miles Davis Jazz Studies Program, visit www.uncg.edu/mus/jazz.
