January 29, 2009 Issue
Who’s Got The Beat?
JAZZfest Brings Diverse Styles to ASU February 16 to 21
Todd Wright and other musicians will be performing at this year's JAZZfest.Combining the best in regional jazz talent with nationally renowned jazz legends, the JAZZfest music festival will take place at Appalachian State University beginning Monday, February 16, through Saturday, February 21.
Sponsored by ASU’s Division of Student Programs, Office of Arts and Cultural Programs and the Hayes School of Music’s Jazz Studies Department, the mission of JAZZfest is “to become the premier regional jazz festival in Western North Carolina,” according to the JAZZfest website.
From the biggest record label in jazz—Blue Note Records—to such up-and-coming artists as Charlotte’s Audioform and Asheville’s Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, JAZZfest 2009 is packing one powerful, syncopated punch.
“For the 2009 JAZZfest we really wanted to branch out and show our students and the region the many diverse faces of jazz,” said Alan Mueller, assistant director of Student Programs. In one week, the ASU campus will hear straight-ahead jazz classics, swing and Big Band jazz, Latin jazz, funky jazz fusion and even steel drum jazz.
Following are descriptions of each of the performers of JAZZfest 2009. For more info, call 828-262-3032 or click to www.jazzfest.appstate.edu.
Jon Thornton w/ the Todd Wright Quartet—February 16
Jon Thornton
Jon Thornton is a jazz trumpeter and vocalist from Charlotte with a 30-year career who has worked with such musicians as Dizzy Gillespie, Herb Ellis, Max Roach, Natalie Cole and the Woody Herman Orchestra. He serves as principal trumpet player for the Charlotte Civic Orchestra and music director for the Brass Act brass quintet and plays with the Charlotte Jazz Orchestra and Latin music group Fuego Lento.
“Jon Thornton is a very accomplished trumpet player,” said Todd Wright, director of Jazz Studies at ASU and saxophonist in the Todd Wright Quartet. “He’s a staple in the jazz community in the Charlotte area.”
The Todd Wright Quartet features Wright on sax, Andy Page on guitar, Joe Crosswell on bass and Rick Dilling on drums. The combo will perform jazz standards on Monday, February 16, at 6:30 p.m. in the Blue Ridge Ballroom of the Plemmons Student Union. The event will feature a dinner and proceeds will benefit Jazz Studies scholarships at ASU. Tickets are available in advance only for $8 at the student union information desk.
Jonathan Scales Fourchestra—February 17
Jonathan Scales Fourchestra
On Tuesday, February 17, the Jonathan Scales Fourchestra will perform in the Crossroads coffee shop on the first floor of the student union. The free concert lasts from noon to 2:00 p.m.
In one of the most unique jazz offerings in the Western North Carolina music scene, Scales combines a traditional Caribbean instrument—the steel drums—with a fresh jazz fusion mix of funk, rock, world music and even bluegrass. Scales released his debut One-Track Mind in 2007 and followed up with Plot/Scheme in 2008, featuring guest artists Jeff Coffin, Jeff Sipe and Joseph Wooten.
The Fourchestra consists of Scales on the steel drums, Duane Simpson on guitar, Shannon Hoover on bass and Ryan Lassiter on drums.
Blue Note Records 70th Anniversary Tour—February 17
Peter Bernstein
Later on Tuesday, the ASU Performing Arts Series presents the Blue Note Records 70th Anniversary Tour. Known as the premier label in jazz, Blue Note Records has a rich history of talent and innovation with names like John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk and Art Blakey. An all-star band featuring some of the finest jazz musicians today is touring around the world to celebrate the record label’s 70th anniversary in 2009.
Led by leading jazz pianist Bill Charlap, the band also features saxophonist Ravi Coltrane—son of John Coltrane—guitarist Peter Bernstein, drummer Lewis Nash, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, bassist Peter Washington and saxophonist Steve Wilson. The group will explore classic tunes by Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Horace Silver, Herbie Hancock, Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter and many others.
The concert is at Farthing Auditorium at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $18 for the general public, $16 for seniors and ASU staff and faculty and $10 for students. For tickets, call 828-262-4046 or click to www.pas.appstate.edu.
Con Clave—February 18
Con Clave
Bringing Latin jazz into the mix, Con Clave is an Asheville band that blends salsa, Afro-Cuban, jazz and contemporary sounds. The band features the family rhythm section of Ozzie Orengo, a native of Puerto Rico, and his son Ozzie Orengo, Jr. on congas and timbales. Con Clave also features vibraphonist Byron Hedgepeth, keyboardist Keith Davis, bassist Eliot Wadopian and saxophonist and flutist Stuart Reinhardt.
Con Clave performs on Wednesday, February 18, at 9:00 p.m. at Legends. Tickets are $4 for students in advance at the student union information desk and $6 for the general public at the door.
Audioform—February 20
Audioform
Audioform is an acid-jazz funk collective that originated in Charlotte and has been touring nationally. The group fuses jazz, funk and soul into a sound augmented by a big horn section and a groove-oriented rhythm section.
The band consists of Tony McCullough on alto saxophone, Gavin Anthony on tenor sax, Joey Rayfield on trombone, Koknosh Lismon on bass, Travis Calvert on tenor sax, Audi Jones on drums, Joe Smalls on bass, Keith Whatley on guitar, Antonio Diaz on percussion and Johnathon Ayala on keys.
The band performs at Legends on Friday, February 20, at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students in advance at the student union info desk and $7 for the general public at the door.
ASU Jazz Ensemble I featuring Rick Simerly—February 21
Rick Simerly
Led by director Todd Wright, the Hayes School of Music Jazz Ensemble I will perform a concert in Farthing Auditorium on Saturday, February 21, at 8:00 p.m. The concert is free.
The ensemble will feature trombonist Rick Simerly, with whom Wright frequently collaborates. Simerly is a recognized jazz performer who has played with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Billy Taylor, James Moody, Rufus Reid and many others.
“Rick is one of the most skilled jazz trombonists living today,” Wright said.
The ensemble will perform a concert in the Big Band tradition.
A Jazzy Array
JAZZfest 2009 focuses especially on the diversity of jazz styles and subgenres. Listed below are some of the various styles of jazz, examples of artists and JAZZfest 2009 artists who exhibit each of the styles.
Straight-Ahead Jazz
The term “straight-ahead” refers to a style of jazz playing that pays tribute to the tradition of jazz and the styles and music from the period between bebop and the 1960s.
Artists: Wynton Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, Cyrus Chestnut
At JAZZfest: Blue Note Records 70th Anniversary Tour, Jon Thornton with the Todd Wright Quartet
Swing/Big Band Jazz
Originating in the 1930s, swing or Big Band jazz is a form of structured jazz that focuses more on the ensemble than the soloist. Ensembles feature saxophone, trumpet, trombone and rhythm sections.
Artists: Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Art Tatum, Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young
At JAZZfest: ASU Jazz Ensemble I featuring Rick Simerly
Latin Jazz
Latin jazz encompasses bossa, samba, Afro-Cuban, calypso, cha-cha, conga, mambo and other Latin dance rhythms.
Artists: Astrud Gilberto, Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Stan Getz, Buena Vista Social Club, Afro-Cuban All Stars, Ibrahim Ferrer
At JAZZfest: Con Clave
Jazz Fusion
The term jazz fusion was originally used to identify the late 1960s and early 1970s jazz that featured a more liberal use of rhythms and forms more closely identified with rock music. Fusion also refers to a blending of jazz with funk, world and other types of music.
Artists: Miles Davis, Weather Report, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Jaco Pastorius, John McLaughlin, Bela Fleck & the Flecktones
At JAZZfest: Audioform, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra
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