UK Jazz Ensemble Preps for Major European Tour

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To view a transcript of the video above, click here. Video by Amy Jones & Kody Kiser/UKPR

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 23, 2011) − Kentucky audiences have one more chance to hear the talents of the University of Kentucky Jazz Ensemble before they embark on a 16-day tour of Europe featuring performances at two celebrated international jazz festivals. Don't miss the opportunity to help send this critically acclaimed ensemble off in style at a swingin' bon voyage concert scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, June 26, at the Singletary Center for the Arts.

UK Jazz Ensemble's European tour, running from June 28 to July 12, is one of the most extensive mounted by a UK School of Music ensemble to date, and will include concerts at two of the world's most prestigious jazz festivals — the Montreux Jazz Festival, in Montreux, Switzerland, and the North Sea Jazz Festival, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The ensemble of 20 of UK's most talented jazz musicians is among a select group of college and university ensembles invited to perform at the noted festivals, and is the only North American university or college ensemble that has been selected to perform this year at North Sea.

"Every year, North Sea and Montreux receive thousands of applications from around the world to perform at their festivals, only 6 to 8 percent are invited to perform," says Miles Osland, director of UK Jazz Studies and professor of saxophone. "It’s a high honor to be selected."

The Montreux Jazz Festival has become a major international event. All the genre's greats have performed on the festival’s stages, including Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie and Michael Brecker. This year's festival will include performances by popular musicians as varied as B.B. King, Carlos Santana, David Sanborn, Esperanza Spalding, Herbie Hancock, Liza Minnelli, Paul Simon and Ziggy Marley.

Not to be outdone, the North Sea Jazz Festival is Europe's largest international jazz event. Along with performances by young talent, North Sea has featured concerts with such legends as Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton Al Jarreau and Wynton Marsalis. This year's festival features such popular musicians as Janelle Monáe, Prince, Natalie Cole, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Bootsy Collins, Branford Marsalis, Seal and Snoop Dogg.

No doubt members of the UK Jazz Ensemble will get to hear and rub shoulders with jazz legends and other popular musicians at both festivals. They will even share the stage with one. Saxophonist Joe Lovano will play with UK's ensemble at their North Sea Jazz Festival appearance. The chance to play at the same festivals, not to mention perform alongside jazz greats is a monumental opportunity for the students.

"This will be something these students will remember for the rest of their lives," says Ben Arnold, director of UK School of Music. "It will be something that will change their trajectory of what they're going to be doing in their career."

Cara Thomas, a graduate student from Martin, Tenn., agrees, "It's a great resume booster. I will be able to say I performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival."

Beyond the music chops the students will be acquiring, the trip abroad itself is another major first for many in the group.

"I have this awesome trip where I get to display my playing ability, hang out with all my friends, and see all these wonderful sights," says Chase Fleming, a music performance freshman from Pikeville, Ky. "It's super exciting. I came to UK to get exposure and get involved, and that is exactly what is happening in a huge way."

Under Osland's direction, the UK Jazz Ensemble frequently tours the Midwest and South with notable performances in Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Louisville, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Georgia, and invitational performances at the International Association of Jazz Educators Conference and the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic.

In addition to live performances, UK Jazz Ensemble is also very active in the recording studio. Five recordings from jazz studies have been recommended for Grammy nominations and received four-star reviews from DownBeat Magazine. To quote one review: "UKJE characterizes the best of today’s college band output."

The UK Jazz Ensemble is comprised of 20 undergraduates and graduates students from the UK School of Music. The ensemble's saxophone section is comprised of: Will Stafford, Cara Thomas, Dieter Rice, Jonathan Holmes, Nathan Treadaway and Ian Cruz. The trumpet section includes: Andrew McGrannahan, Eric Millard, Patrick Van Arsdale, Ryan Bickett and Rui Li. The trombone section consists of: Josh Dargavell, Chase Fleming, Vinny VanSlyke, Sam Fields, Alexandre Ferreira and Austin Bralley. And, UK Jazz Ensemble's rhythm section consists of Don Steins, on piano; Rob Barnes, on bass; and Brandon Wood, on drums.  

In celebration of the ensemble's festival invitations, UK School of Music and UK College of Fine Arts will present the "Bon Voyage Concert: A Grand Day for Swingin" featuring performances by UK Jazz Ensemble and the UK faculty ensemble, the Osland/Dailey Jazztet, comprised of faculty members Osland, pianist Raleigh Dailey, drummer Paul Deatherage, and Danny Cecil on bass. This special concert will feature music from such noted jazz musicians as Thelonius Monk, Gordon Goodwin and Woody Herman, among others. The concert will take the stage at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 26, at the Singletary Center for the Arts Recital Hall. This concert is free and open to the public, but donations toward the UK Jazz Ensemble tour will be welcomed.

MEDIA CONTACT:  Whitney Hale, (859) 257-8716 or whitney.hale@uky.edu