Jazz Week at UL Lafayette will take place Nov. 10-12 in the Ducrest-Gilfrey Auditorium in Angelle Hall. Each evening at 7:30 p.m, a different program will be presented, beginning with the UL Lafayette Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combo II on Monday night, and Combo I, Combo III and the Guitar Ensemble on Tuesday. The series will conclude Wednesday night with the Faculty Jazz Septet.
The Jazz Ensemble is a big band with 18 students and community musicians under the direction of William Hochkeppel. They will present a variety of new and updated classics from the libraries of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton and Maynard Ferguson.
Presented through the auspices of the UL Lafayette Concert Series, guest artist Ron Rudkin, director of the jazz program at the North Carolina School of the Arts, will be performing four numbers on alto saxophone and clarinet with the Jazz Ensemble and Combo II. Combo II is directed by Paul Morton, who will be playing trumpet in the group, and will present standards such as “Caravan,” “Black Orpheus” and “Airegin.”
Combo I, under the direction of Bob Luckey – director of Jazz Studies in the School of Music, is comprised of outstanding undergraduate music students. Their program will feature numbers written by noted trumpet players, including Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Clifford Brown, and Lee Morgan.
Combo III was established as a training group for students with little jazz experience. “We like to surprise the audience with some unexpected turns,” said Director Robert Willey.
Jeff George directs the Guitar Ensemble, a group composed of five guitarists backed by bass and drums. They will play arrangements of bebop pianist Thelonius Monk, including the rarely performed tune “We-See.”
On Wednesday the Faculty Jazz Septet will perform a set of standard and original works. Bob Luckey drew the group together last year to capitalize on the School of Music’s versatile faculty. “Most universities do not have seven teachers who play jazz,” said Luckey. “This is an exceptional group of seasoned performers who enjoy the challenges that jazz music has to offer.”
Tickets for Monday night’s concert are $10 for general admission. The cost for seniors and secondary students will be $5. Tuesday and Wednesday night general admission is $6 with senior citizens and secondary students at $4. All concerts are free to UL Lafayette students, faculty and staff with current ID, and to children 12 and under.
For more information call 482-6012 or visit http://music.louisiana.edu/jazz.