The University of Iowa School of Music Department of Jazz will present the 2013 Latin Jazz Festival, which features a major concert on Thursday, Dec. 12, and a daylong educational event for area high school musicians on Friday, Dec. 13. Two free, public events will be offered in conjunction with the festival.
The Latin Jazz Festival Concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12, in Riverside Recital Hall on the UI campus. This is a combined concert featuring Johnson County Landmark (directed by John Rapson) and the Latin Jazz Ensemble (directed by James Dreier). This concert will feature guest artist Felipe Salles, an Ida Beam Visiting Scholar from the jazz area at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
Both ensembles will perform original compositions from Salles' major work, South American Suite, with large arrangements by Salles having their world premiere performances. Salles will perform with both ensembles.
On Friday, Dec. 13, Salles, along with the UI jazz faculty (John Rapson, Steve Grismore, James Dreier, Damani Phillips, and Brent Sandy), will serve as clinicians/instructors for the semi-annual UI Latin Jazz Festival. Iowa high school jazz bands will rehearse, observe performances, hear lectures, and learn about Latin jazz during this daylong event. UI jazz students will also participate in this festival.
The festival attendees will perform their Latin jazz repertoire and demonstrate their newly acquired skills and information in a free concert at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, at The Mill in downtown Iowa City.
The UI Latin Jazz Ensemble was formed in 2003 and is a student jazz group that studies and performs music from the Caribbean and South America. The ensemble hosts the UI Latin Jazz Festival every other year.
Johnson County Landmark (JCL) is the premier large jazz ensemble in the UI School of Music. It is devoted to the performance of original compositions by jazz masters past and present. JCL programs have included the music of Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Tadd Dameron, Thad Jones, and Charles Mingus, as well as current stars Maria Schneider and John Hollenbeck. JCL has recorded numerous CDs, and toured Brazil in 2012.
The School of Music is part of the Division of Performing Arts in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. If you require a reasonable accommodation to attend this concert, contact the School of Music in advance at 319-335-1603.
For a UI arts calendar and details about upcoming events visit the Arts Iowa website.