Twenty-fourth Annual North Carolina Jazz Festival to Preview at UNCW
1/13/2004 12:00:00 AM
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WILMINGTON, N.C.—The North Carolina Jazz Festival swings into the University of North Carolina at Wilmington’s Kenan Auditorium at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5. One of the nation’s premiere weekend jazz parties, the festival features a stellar line-up of world-class classic jazz musicians. These award-winning artists have performed with stars ranging from Tony Bennett and Rosemary Clooney to Dizzy Gillespie and Wynton Marsalis.
The North Carolina Jazz Festival, now in its 24th year, began in February 1979 when a local restaurateur sponsored a weekend jazz party featuring Art Hodes, Kenny Davern and Don DeMichael. A complete sellout led to a repeat the following year, this time with Dick Hyman, Kenny Davern and Bobby Rosengarden playing.
This year, the first set will be classic Dixieland jazz featuring two trumpets. The second set will be straight-ahead jazz and feature saxophones. Artists at this year’s festival preview will be:
• Harry Allen, tenor sax has performed with Rosemary Clooney, Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison, and has recorded with Tony Bennett, James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, Kenny Barron, to name a few.
• Joe Ascione, drums, known as the fastest left hand in drumming. He has appeared with Herb Ellis, Marian McPartland, and David Grisman, among others.
• Kenny Davern, clarinet, joined the Benny Goodman Orchestra in 1977, and has toured with Woody Herman, Bud Tate and Zoot Sims. A favorite at Wilmington’s N.C. Jazz Festival.
• Tony DeNicola, drums, developed the jazz band and percussion ensemble programs at Trenton State College. He has recorded with Harry James, Billy Butterfield, Freddy Martin and Greg Cohen.
• Vince Giordano, bass sax and bass, creator of the Nighthawk’s, he’s played at ‘21’, the Rainbow Room, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Copacabana, among others, and been featured in Woody Allen’s Sweet and Lowdown and Gus Van Sant’s Finding Forrester.
• Wycliffe Gordon, trombone, an award-winning performer and composer who has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, both Branford and Wynton Marsalis, and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.
• Jon-Eric Kellso, trumpet (cornet), a current member of Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks, he has also performed at the Kennedy Center in D.C., on PBS TV and Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion.
• Ken Peplowski, clarinet, alto and tenor sax, loved for not only his musical talent but also his sense of humor.
• Bucky Pizzarelli, guitar, considered one of the premier jazz guitarists of our time. He has been with NBC and ABC, appeared frequently at Carnegie Hall, performed with the Boston Pops and toured with Benny Goodman.
• Ed Polcer, trumpet (cornet), N.C. Jazz Festival veteran and former main man for Eddie Condon’s in New York. One of the best Dixieland leaders in the country.
• John Sheridan, piano, a former member of the prestigious U.S. Navy Band in D.C., he’s written over 1,000 arrangements for ensemble and recorded with Wycliffe Gordon and Banu Gibson among others.
• Frank Tate, bass, is back for his sixth N.C. Jazz Festival. A longtime sideman with Zoot Sims, he has played with cabaret icon Bobby Short for several years.
• Johnny Varro, piano, considered one of the most popular men on keyboards in the country, he has performed with Henry ‘Red’ Allen and Coleman Hawkins, among others.
Musicians are subject to change. Any substitutions since press time will be announced from the stage.
BOX OFFICE AND TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are free for UNCW students and children 12 and under; $15 for UNCW faculty/staff and Arts in Action Series subscribers; and $25 for all others. For tickets, call the Kenan Auditorium box office at 910/962-3500 or 800/732-3643 outside of the Wilmington area. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. For additional information, please visit www.uncw.edu/arts.
OTHER SERIES PERFORMERS
(All performances are at 8:00 p.m. in Kenan Auditorium.)
Les Yeux Noirs Feb. 11
Bruce Wood Dance Company March 26
Sam Bush (co-presented with Thalian Hall) April 17
ABOUT UNCW ARTS IN ACTION PERFORMANCE SERIES
Sponsored by the Campus Activities and Involvement Center at UNC Wilmington, the Arts in Action Performance Series seeks to culturally enrich, educate and entertain both students and the general public through the presentation of diverse programs featuring professional, high-quality performing artists. Each series features an eclectic combination of jazz, world music, modern dance, theater and chamber music. For more information, please visit the Arts in Action Web site at www.uncw.edu/arts.
UNCW Arts in Action is a member of the N.C. Presenters Consortium and the U.S. National Association of Performing Arts Presenters. The 150 member venues of the N.C. Presenters Consortium may be visited at www.presenters.org.
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Media Contact: Shannon Hooker, 910/962-7600 or hookers@uncw.edu.
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