ROCHESTER, NY — The electrifying sounds of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, hailed by Billboard magazine as “a living testament to the beauty and artistry of big-band music,” will fill Eastman Theatre at 8 p.m., Saturday, February 24, as part of the Eastman School of Music’s “Day and Night of Jazz.” The concert is presented in memory of the late Will Moyle, a well-known and beloved Rochester jazz advocate. (See below for more information on Will Moyle.)
Since 1966, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra — formerly the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra — has created, performed, and recorded both the classic and cutting-edge realms of jazz. Under the direction of its founders Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, the all-star band (which has included such notables as Bob Brookmeyer, Snooky Young, and Hank Jones) spent its early years entertaining audiences at New York’s Village Vanguard and now tours internationally to enthusiastic audiences everywhere.
General admission tickets to the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra concert are $5, and are available at Ticket Express, 100 East Ave. (222-5000), or at Eastman Theatre’s box office one hour before the concert.
“A Day and Night of Jazz” also features the following:
- Clinic presentations on improvisation, 1:15-2:15 p.m.
- Master classes featuring Eastman jazz faculty members Clay Jenkins, Harold Danko, Ray Ricker, Rich Thompson, Bob Sneider, Jeff Campbell, and guest artist Phil Sims, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
- “The Music of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra,” a presentation/discussion by Tom Hampson, 3:45-4:45 p.m.
- A performance in Eastman Theatre by the Eastman New Jazz Ensemble, Jim Doser, conductor, 5 p.m.
All of these programs are free and open to the public. Walk-in registration begins at noon in Eastman’s Main Hall. For more information, please call 274-1440.
About Will Moyle
Will Moyle was known to many Rochesterians for his work in radio and television news from 1952 to 1975 and for his jazz programs, which aired on radio until his death in January 1996. His many friends included jazz artists Stan Kenton, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and George Shearing. In the last 20 years of his life, Moyle interviewed many of the major jazz figures of his time and left a legacy of these conversations titled The Essence of Jazz. In his final days, he asked for the development of more Rochester-area concerts that would contribute to jazz education and enjoyment. Eastman’s “Day and Night of Jazz” is part of this legacy begun by Moyle.
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