UNCW Jazz Ensembles

Thursday March 2, 2006
UNCW JAZZ ENSEMBLES PLAY FIRST CONCERT OF THE SEASON

Wilmington, NC – The University of North Carolina Wilmington Big Band and Saxtet play their first concert of the season at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Mar. 2 in Kenan Auditorium. The Saxtet is composed of UNCW music students. The UNCW Big Band includes music majors and non-music majors from throughout the university, as well as select high school students and members of the local community. Both groups are led by music department chair, Frank Bongiorno.

The UNCW Big Band performs music ranging from swing to bebop and modern styles. In addition to its concert schedule, the band has produced several recordings including four CDs. The program will consist of a variety of big band selections, including pieces by Lennie Niehaus, Chick Corea and Wycliffe Gordon among other greats.

The second half of the program features the UNCW Saxtet, a unique new jazz ensemble of select students from the Department of Music. Consisting of primarily jazz and performance majors, this contemporary ensemble consists of five saxophones, a trumpet and a rhythm section. Modeled after the well-known SuperSax groups of the 1970s, the Saxtet combines the big band sound of a large jazz ensemble with the subtleties and creative improvisations of a small jazz combo. Compositions to be performed include works by Bob Mintzer, Ramon Ricker, and Joe Henderson, as well as a performance of George Gershwin’s Summertime with an orchestration by Frank Bongiorno.

Admission for this event is $5 for the general public and free for UNCW students with a valid ID.

For more information, please contact the UNCW Kenan Auditorium Box Office at (910) 962-3500 or the UNCW Department of Music at (910) 962-7416.

ABOUT THE UNCW JAZZ ENSEMBLES

The UNCW Jazz Ensembles consist of both big bands and combos. Over the years the jazz ensembles and its musicians have garnered numerous awards and accolades. Since 1995 some of these awards and honors have included a Down Beat award for “Outstanding College Performance” in the “Jazz Instrumentalist Soloist” category, and a gold award (first place) for the best university combo at JazzFest U.S.A. (sponsored by Down Beat magazine). The UNCW Jazz Ensembles have also been invited to perform at various prestigious jazz festivals, including the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy, the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Hague, the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, and the Graz Jazz Festival in Austria. In addition to their concert schedule, the UNCW Jazz Ensembles have produced several recordings, including four compact disc recordings (On the Edge, Portraits of Swing, Travelin’ Light, and Summation), a compact disc play-along for Jazz Player magazine, as well as a videotape called Sing Like a Pro.

Finally, the UNCW Jazz Ensembles host an annual guest artist jazz festival each spring that provides an opportunity for the ensembles to perform with world-class jazz artists such as Ingrid Jensen, Ralph Bowen, Bob Berg, Marvin Stamm, Rufus Reid, David Baker, Ed Shaughnessy, Chris Vadala, Denis DiBlasio, and Slide Hampton, to name a few.

PHOTO CREDIT: UNCW/Jamie Moncrief