Running a jazzy gamut from the rich traditions of Louis Armstrong to the contemporary stylings of top women in today’s jazz scene, the 2001 Purdue Jazz Festival, Jan. 19-21, broadens its scope to offer more entertainment opportunities than ever before.
Two evening concerts with national headliners, two showcase days featuring middle school and high school jazz bands and vocal groups from throughout the Midwest, and open clinics with jazz stars are at the heart of the event.
New this year is jazz and blues for night owls at various clubs and restaurants around Lafayette, a Sunday jazz brunch at Buon Appetito in downtown Lafayette and a jazz church service at University Church in West Lafayette.
Education lies at the heart of the festival presented by Purdue University Bands in collaboration with Purdue Convocations and Purdue Musical Organizations.
Since its inception 11 years ago, it’s more than tripled in size and has become known as one of the top festivals in the Midwest. Besides creating a forum for instrumental and vocal jazz groups to perform before adjudicators and compete for gold and silver medals, the festival offers numbers opportunities to experience many different kinds of jazz, and to learn more about the indigenous American musical form.
Headliners for the 2001 event include New Orleans trumpeter Nicholas Payton whose 12-piece band will present "A Louis Armstrong Tribute" on Friday, Jan. 19, and three women who Purdue Jazz Studies director M.T. "Mo" Trout considers to be the young lionesses of jazz.
Canadian trumpeter Ingrid Jensen began her rise to fame in 1995 when she won "Best Newcomer" at the Cork Jazz Festival, and placed first in the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Competition. The same year her Vernal Fields CD won Canada’s Juno Award as "Best Mainstream Artist."
Drummer Terri Lyne Carrington is a familiar face to many who’ve seen her perform as part of the house band on the "Arsenio Hall Show" and on "Vibe" hosted by the comedian Sinbad. She was nominated for a Grammy for her first release on Polygram, Real Life Story.
Vocalist Sunny Wilkinson - whose performance credits stretch from the Count Basie Band to Marvin Stamm and Bill Watrous – is considered to be one of the most inventive and flexible singers of her generation. A member of the jazz faculty at Michigan State University, she’s responsible for a mentoring program for young women called Sisters in Jazz and currently heads the International Association of Jazz Educators Women’s Caucus.
Here’s a look at the schedule for the 2001 Jazz Festival:
FRIDAY, JAN. 19
Middle School Jazz Festival, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Purdue Stewart Center. Free
Jazz Café, preconcert look at Nicholas Payton, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Purdue Union Room 118. Free.
Nicholas Payton "A Louis Armstrong Tribute," 8 p.m. Loeb Playhouse; call 494-3933 for tickets.
Jazz Café After Hours, post show jam with snack bar, Purdue Union Room 118. Free.
Live jazz at Vienna Espresso, 9:30-11:30 p.m., 208 South St., West Lafayette Village. No cover.
Live blues at Knickerbocker Saloon, 10 p.m., 113 N. Fifth St., downtown Lafayette. Cover $3.
SATURDAY, JAN. 20
High School vocal/instrumental jazz festival, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Purdue Union & Stewart Center. Free.
Jazz Clinics, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Purdue Union and Stewart Center. Free.
Young Lionesses of Jazz Concert, 7 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center; call 494-3933 for tickets.
Live blues at Knickerbocker Saloon, 10 p.m., 113 N. Fifth St., downtown Lafayette. Cover charged.
SUNDAY, JAN. 21
Jazz Church Service, 10 a.m., University Church, Grant Street across from Purdue Union.
Jazz Brunch, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Buon Appetitio, 625 Columbia St., Lafayette. Cost of meal; 420-7072.