Indiana University

News Release

Friday, March 30, 2012

Last modified: Friday, March 30, 2012

2012 IU Presidential Concert, 'Jazz Celebration,' to feature Randy Brecker and other jazz greats

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2012

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- In partnership with the Indiana University Office of the President, Michael A. McRobbie, the IU Jacobs School of Music will present "Jazz Celebration" at 8 p.m. April 21 in the Musical Arts Center -- a star-studded concert featuring four internationally recognized alumni and a host of ensembles.

This is the first time the annual Presidential Concert has featured a jazz event and is the perfect opportunity for the campus, community and region to celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month.

The highlight of the evening will be a quartet performance by renowned alumni guest artists Randy Brecker, trumpet; Alan Pasqua, piano; Robert Hurst, bass; and Peter Erskine, drums; who all played in distinguished professor David Baker's jazz ensemble when they were students at the Jacobs School.

"We're thrilled to be able to bring together these world-class alumni in one concert," said Tom Walsh, Jacobs professor of jazz. "This is an incredible opportunity for our students to work with the best of the best. Part of our mission is to have students perform with professionals in the field, and this event takes that experience to another level altogether."

While Hurst performed in January's David Baker 80th Birthday Celebration at the Musical Arts Center, this is the first time Brecker, Pasqua and Erskine have returned to IU as guest artists performing at the MAC.

The breadth of what the Jacobs Jazz Studies Department offers will be on full display in this eclectic event.

After the Brazilian Percussion Ensemble welcomes concertgoers outside as they arrive, a student jazz combo will set the mood in the lobby.

The onstage celebration will also feature student combos, the Latin Jazz Ensemble led by faculty member Michael Spiro and a big-band ensemble directed by Baker, chair of the Jazz Studies Department.

As a nod to the long-running Big Band Extravaganza, the concert will climax with the four alumni joining the David Baker Jazz Ensemble for an updated version of Benny Goodman's "Sing, Sing, Sing" -- the signature closing number of the Extravaganza.

Reserved seating tickets, $8 for students and $10-$25 for the general public, are available at the Musical Arts Center box office 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday (812-855-7433), or online here.

The concert will be video-streamed live at IUMusic Live! and is a culminating event of this year's Arts Week Everywhere, an annual celebration highlighting arts on the Indiana University campus and in the greater Bloomington community. For more information about Arts Week Everywhere, visit artsweek.indiana.edu.


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