A Night of Jazz 2020
Lee University School of Music will present “A Night of Jazz” on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Conn Center. The event will be a joint concert performed by the Lee Small Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble and will also welcome guest artist Jon Hamar.
The ensembles will perform a variety of works, including “Babylon Sisters” by Steely Dan, “Snakes” by Sanborn, “I’ll Take Les” by Scofield, “There Will Never Be Another You” by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon, “Is It a Crime” by Sade, “What a Fool Believes” by The Doobie Brothers, and others.
“The repertoire is a unique blend of pop music with a historical perspective,” said Tom Hurst, an adjunct instructor in applied drum and popular music studies in Lee’s School of Music. “The students are such a pleasure to work with. They keep us young, and it’s always intriguing to see the material they choose, whether it be historical or something completely new.”
Multiple vocalists with solos will be featured during the concert, including music majors Sidney Devoe, Chloe Freake, Jose Hairston, and Drew Pieratt.
Mr. Hamar, assistant professor of jazz and double bass at University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is known for his tasteful, unique voice and has performed as a freelance bassist in multiple performance genres throughout the country.
“Tom and I wanted to give our students the opportunity to cover a variety of musical genres for this concert,” said Shawn Perkinson, an instructor of jazz and commercial guitar at Lee. “Several of the program’s selections were songs that our students suggested. This concert will truly have a little bit of something for everybody to enjoy.”
Under the direction of Mr. Hurst and Mr. Perkinson, Small Jazz Ensemble includes commercial music combos designed to give students from all majors an opportunity of an introduction to jazz and its extensive repertoire. Performances include compositions in both historical and popular repertoire, and students are encouraged to guide and direct many of the arrangements and pieces.
Lee University Jazz Ensemble performs traditional and recent literature for the traditional Big Band. The ensemble includes rhythm, saxophones, trumpets, and trombones. A frequent award winner at national festivals, it performs for campus, school, and civic events. Its students also have the opportunity to perform in combos. The groups are under the direction of tenor saxophonist Alan Wyatt, an associate professor of music at Lee and a highly-acclaimed soloist known for his imaginative improvisations.
The concert is free and open to the public, but tickets are required due to limited seating. To reserve a ticket, visit https://www.showclix.com/event/a-night-of-jazz-at-lee-university.
The concert will also be available for livestream viewing at https://livestream.com/leeu.
For more information about the concert and other School of Music events, call 614-8240.
A Night of Jazz 2020