Claire Smith
Staff writer
csmith110@murraystate.edu
Photo by Richard Thompson/The News
Music brings people together through a shared love of listening, learning and performing. The Jamey Aebersold Jazz Festival is the perfect event to enjoy all three.
The festival will take place on Friday, March 29, in Lovett Auditorium. Participants in the festival include middle school, high school and Murray State jazz groups. The participating schools come from Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and Mississippi.
Todd Hill, festival coordinator and the director of jazz studies at Murray State, said the number of groups participating this year is what sets the event apart from last year. This year there are 16 middle and high school bands participating. The festival has grown in size through connections and relationships.
“Our alums play such an important role in bringing back their own students to the festival,” Hill said.
He said the festival is open for anyone to observe at any time, but the headline concert with Jamey Aebersold is at 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Hall.
Aebersold, a saxophonist from New Albany, Indiana, has been performing for over 65 years. He also plays the piano, bass and banjo. In 2008, he gifted Murray State a jazz musician scholarship.
Aebersold said he enjoys hearing young people play jazz and getting to talk to them about improvising as well as the concert where people get to hear the jazz performers.
During the concert, Aebersold will be on alto sax. Other members of the group include Gabe Evens on piano, Tyrone Wheeler on bass and Jonathan Higgins on drums.
The headlining concert will take place in the Performing Arts Hall of the Old Fine Arts Building. The afternoon concert will take place in Lovett Auditorium and begin at 4:42 p.m. on Friday with Charleston High School.
The use of Lovett Auditorium for the afternoon concert allows two groups to be set up simultaneously. This prevents delays in the schedule.
The concerts and clinics are free and open to the public. Visiting groups that participate in clinics can elect to receive an assignment rating.