Friday, October 12, 2007
PRINCESS ANNE, MD-“G’on An’ Git It Y’all!,” a blues composition by Frank Foster, will set the tone for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s Fall Jazz Ensemble concert slated for Friday, October 12, at 8 p.m. in the Ella Fitzgerald Center for the Performing Arts. The event is free and open to the public.
The UMES Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. John R. Lamkin II, consists of 20 members that include five saxophones, four trombones, five trumpets, two bass players, two percussionists, a piano player and a vocalist.
Most of the students in the band are music education majors, who are preparing to spread the knowledge they are gaining about the jazz idiom once they graduate and become educators.
“Many of the members of the Ensemble have gone on to become highly successful music educators and sought after professional musicians,” said Lamkin. “There are also a few members of the band who are community musicians who donate their time and talent to the Jazz Ensemble because they love to play their instruments and they love jazz. They are truly an inspiration to the students in the band.”
This semester’s concert will feature several big band arrangements from well-known composers. “I am especially excited about, “G’on An’ Git It Y’all!” It’s a wonderful blues piece that will feature a trombone solo by Virgil Boysaw, a freshman music education major,” Lamkin said. Also featured in the concert will be Fats Waller’s “The Jitterbug Waltz,” Horace Silver’s “The Jody Grind,” Lester Young’s “Tickletoe” and “Pegasus,” a composition written by Hank Levy for the famous Stan Kenton Band. The vocalist will be featured on several compositions including, “A Foggy Day,” “Just Friends” and “Down Home Blues,” made popular by Z.Z. Hill.
UMES’ Jazz Ensemble has performed at Governor Martin O’Malley’s Inaugural Ball, the National Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Week conference held in Washington, D.C. and the WEE-ACT Educational Recruitment Fair in Stamford, Conn. The band performs regularly during the Veteran’s Day Ceremony for the Cambridge Elks and the Salisbury VFW Post 10159. The band has toured Chicago, Florida, New York, St. Thomas and Ghana. They also play regularly in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and for area schools and community functions.
For more information call the UMES Department of Fine Arts at 410-651-6571.
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Suzanne Waters Street, director, UMES Office of Public Relations, 410-621-2355, sstreet@umes.edu.
Photo caption:
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore performs at Governor Martin O’Malley’s Inaugural Ball. They are in concert Friday, October 12, at 8 p.m. at the Ella Fitzgerald Center for the Performing Arts on the UMES campus. The event is free and open to the public.
