Jazz ensembles concert to include Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, faculty trumpet soloist

The UGA jazz ensembles will take the stage for their annual fall concert in Ramsey Concert Hall on Monday, Nov. 6 at 6 p.m. The performance will feature jazz, swing and Latin pieces from yesterday and today, as well as a faculty soloist on trumpet.

The free program will feature Jazz Ensemble I and assistant professor of trumpet Brandon Craswell as a featured soloist playing pieces from artists such as Johnny Mandel, Sonny Rollins and Freddie Green. The program will also feature Jazz Ensemble II, the introductory level ensemble, playing jazz pieces from artists such Antonio Carlos Jobim, Miles Davis and Stanley Turrentine. 

Craswell, an International Trumpet Guild prize winner, has played with a variety of symphonies across the country including the Atlanta, Charleston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville and Honolulu symphonies. He has also played alongside the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, played principal trumpet with the Santiago Philharmonic and has an extensive performance history at international festivals such as the Aspen Music Festival.

“Craswell will be featured on two pieces, Duke Ellington's "Concerto For Cootie", and the beautiful ballad, "A Time For Love,"’ said David D’Angelo, director of the ensembles.  “The other pieces for both ensembles are from great composers and arrangers of both the past and present, in a variety of jazz styles, swing, Latin, and jazz rock.  

The students who make up both ensembles are a combination of music majors and minors. Students from Jazz Ensemble I have had a significant amount of time on stage in both academic and professional settings.

“Jazz Ensemble I features musicians who have been performing around the country with a variety of groups including the Disneyland All American Collegiate Band, for instance, and local groups,” he said. “These students have also represented UGA in the annual SEC Symposium All-Star Jazz Ensemble that performs at Championship weekend in Atlanta.”

Having these talented ensembles perform each fall provides a unique opportunity for the Athens and UGA communities to see just what jazz is all about.

“What we’re doing is really keeping the spirit and tradition of this American art form alive and well,” D’Angelo said.

The performance is free and open to the public. Those unable to attend can watch the concert live on the Hodgson School’s website: music.uga.edu/streaming.

By Jessica Luton