UNT Jazz Studies April ’13 sounds abound

By Kathy Edwards McFarland

Lost in the maze of  University of North Texas Jazz performances by students (recitals and concerts) and Guest Lectures, I cannot decide where to go and when. Jazz exudes from performance halls and local downtown venues. As of this post, GRAMMY winner Kurt Elling has just completed a Guest Artist Master Class in UNT’s Voertman Hall. I regret not writing about this amazing opportunity earlier.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL3VK9vXTh0

To keep current on the many, many recitals and concerts scheduled this month through College of Music at the University of North Texas, visit http://music.unt.edu/. The home page hosts “Upcoming Events” calendar.

You can also go to the full month calendar: http://music.unt.edu/calendar/.

Kurt Elling  is among the world’s foremost jazz vocalists. He has won every DownBeat Critics Poll for the last 13 years and has been named “Male Singer of the Year” by the Jazz Journalists Association eight times in that same span.   All 10 of his albums have received GRAMMY nominations.

Elling’s rich baritone spans four octaves and features both astonishing technical mastery and emotional depth. His repertoire includes original compositions and modern interpretations of standards, all of which are springboards for inspired improvisation, scatting, spoken word, and poetry. Elling is a renowned artist of vocalese – the writing and performing of words over recorded improvised jazz solos. The natural heir to jazz pioneers Eddie Jefferson, King Pleasure and Jon Hendricks, Elling has set his own lyrics to the improvised solos of Wayne Shorter, Keith Jarrett and Pat Metheny. He often incorporates images and references from writers such as Rilke, Rumi, Neruda and Proust into his work.

I have posted only a fraction of the Jazz events scheduled …

• Friday, April 12, the UNT Jazz Singers: Jennifer Barnes, director, featuring Peter Eldridge, guest vocalist, will perform in
  

  UNT Jazz Singers 2013

  Voertman Hall, 8 p.m.
  Tickets: $10 Adults; $8 Senior Citizens 55+, Non-UNT Students, Children, UNT Faculty/Staff/Retirees, and Groups of 10+
  Free to UNT Students (limit 1, UNT Student ID required, must be picked up in person at the Box Office)
  Purchase online or call 940-369-7802

• Sunday, April 14:

• 

  Diaspora

  Please join us April 14th from 7-9pm for Diaspora’s CD Release Party. Featuring Evan Weiss, Tony Baker, Brad Leali, Stefan Karlsson, Fred Hamilton, Jose Aponte, and yours truly – Tito Carneco! We hope to see you there!

• Thursday, April 18: Renowned drummer Ignacio Berroa will perform
  

  Ignacio Berroa

  with Lynn Seaton, bass, and Stefan Karlsson, piano, at Dan’s Silverleaf, 103 Industrial, Denton, 8 p.m. Price: $10.00

Sunday, April 21:

• The Official Texas Jazz Orchestra – Do you revel in live Big Band music? Join the crowd Sunday, on the Sweetwater patio, for your chance to hear The Official Texas Jazz Orchestra. The 17-piece band plays Sweetwater Grill & Tavern, 115 S. Elm St., Denton, 7-9 p.m. For details, visit http://sweetwatergrillandtavern.com/

The Official Texas Jazz Orchestra

• THE OFFICIAL TEXAS JAZZ ORCHESTRA
  SAXOPHONES: James Riggs, John Murphy, Chris McGuire, Clay Pritchard, and Jim Pritchard
  TRUMPETS: Keith Jourdan, Tyler Mire, Jack Evans, Rodney Booth, and Mike Stienel
  TROMBONES: Mike Burgess, Chris Seiter, Greg Waits, and A.G. Robeson
  RHYTHM: Stefan Karlsson, piano; Lynn Seaton, bass; Matt Young, drumset

April 26, 27 and 28, 2013:

• University of North Texas Jazz students takes the stage – well, their stage – during the 2013 Denton Arts & Jazz Fest, Quakertown Park in Denton.

For details, visit http://www.dentonjazzfest.com/stages/untShowcaseStage.shtml.

Click here for map of the festival… http://www.dentonjazzfest.com/images/presentation/2012/2012MapTh.png