January 14, 2008

Chicago Jazz Ensemble to honor jazz greats at sold-out show

The Chicago Jazz Ensemble with Artistic Director Jon Faddis will honor the musical legacy of vocalists Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and pianist Thelonious Monk.

The concert, titled "Celebrating Genius, Commemorating Titans: Happy 90th Birthday to Nat, Diz, Ella & Monk," is presented by Purdue Convocations.

It will be the opening concert of the Purdue Jazz Festival, which runs Jan. 16-20 and will bring more than 2,000 middle and high school students to campus for clinics and concerts with jazz artists and clinicians.

The Chicago Jazz Ensemble program will feature classic Dizzy Gillespie big band arrangements and Thelonious Monk's music as arranged by Michael Philip Mossman, said Todd Wetzel, director of Purdue Convocations. The ensemble's vocalist, Bobbi Wilsyn, will highlight the music of Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald.

Concertgoers are invited to a pre-show discussion with Don Seybold, jazz expert and former associate director of Convocations, at 7 p.m. Friday (Jan. 18) in Stewart Center, Room 311.

Founded in 1965 by composer and conductor William Russo, Wetzel said the Chicago Jazz Ensemble has remained dedicated throughout its history to preserving American big band jazz music, performing and reinterpreting the classics of big-band repertoire and promoting the continuing evolution of the art form by performing and commissioning contemporary works.

As a professional jazz ensemble in residence at Columbia College Chicago, the group also is committed to education, building new audiences and fostering the next generation of American talent by training and mentoring.

"Recognized internationally as one of American's leading jazz ensembles, the 21-member Chicago Jazz Ensemble comprises an elite group of Chicago jazz musicians, including established stars with national reputations and acclaimed Columbia College Chicago faculty as well as Chicago's brightest young talents," Wetzel said.

Appointed in 2004 as artistic director of the ensemble, Faddis has a 30-year history of performing and collaborating with jazz artists and big bands throughout the world. He has performed with the Lionel Hampton Big Band and the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra and served as music director for Dizzy Gillespie's Grammy Award-winning United Nation Orchestra and Dizzy Gillespie's 70th Birthday Big Band. After his mentor's death, Faddis led the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars Big Band.

Known for his leadership of the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, Faddis has conducted more than 40 concerts in 10 years at Carnegie Hall, featuring more than 135 musicians and 70 guest artists. He also leads his own quartet, which will release a CD, "Teranga," on Koch Records this spring. In addition to his performance work, Faddis is an award-winning educator committed to accessible and quality educations of young musicians.

Writer: Christy Jones, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu

Source: Kerry Schutt Nason, (765) 494-5045, knason@purdue.edu

Todd Wetzel, (765) 494-9712, tewetzel@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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