Green Country Jazz Festival Features Trumpeter Randy Brecker

Photo by: Merri Cyr

TAHLEQUAH Oklahomas longest running jazz festival, the Northeastern State University Green Country Jazz Festival, will take place Monday, March 2, with legendary trumpeter and Grammy-award winner Randy Brecker as the festival guest artist.

Brecker has redefined the role of the trumpet in jazz, R&B and rock, performing and recording with a wide array of artists including Horace Silver, Charles Mingus, Frank Zappa, Jaco Pastorius, Blood, Sweat and Tears and Joe Henderson. Randy teamed up with his brother, the legendary saxophonist Michael Brecker, for a series of award-winning albums as the Brecker Brothers band. In 2009, he won the Grammy for best contemporary jazz album with his most recent CD, Randy in Brazil.

Randy Brecker is arguably the finest trumpet performer in jazz today, said Arthur White, NSU director of Jazz Studies. This concert will be one of the most exciting events to hit Green Country this year.

The evening concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the NSU University Center Sen. Herb Rozell Ballroom. Tickets are $12 for general admission or $6 for students.

Brecker will be performing with the NSU Jazz Ensemble. The group is celebrating the release of their newest CD, the critically acclaimed Global Citizen, with guest trombonist Robin Eubanks. Recently, the NSU Jazz Ensemble has performed with world-renowned artists Mike Mainieri, Bob Mintzer, Paul Hanson, Joe Lovano, Robin Eubanks, Mulgrew Miller and others. The band has released four critically acclaimed CDs, and has been recognized and awarded by allaboutjazz.com, Jazz Education Journal and others.

The GCJF will also present the 5th Annual Judges Jam on Sunday March 1, at 7:30 p.m., at the NSU Jazz Lab with a ticket price of $5 per person. In addition to Brecker, White, and pianist/festival coordinator Shane Ohlson, the performers include saxophonist/flutist Paul Scea, director of jazz studies at West Virginia University, bassist Steve Haines, director of jazz studies at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, guitarist James Greeson, director of the jazz ensemble at the University of Arkansas, and drummer Thomas Taylor, instructor of music at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

During the day of the festival, junior high and high school jazz bands from across Oklahoma will perform for judges at the NSU Center for the Performing Arts and the University Center. There will also be a clinic with Brecker for students attending the festival. These performances are free and open to the public.

Randy is excited about coming to NSU for the first time, and we are equally excited to bring this potent artist to Green Country, said White.

The GCJF is supported with a grant from the Oklahoma Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Randy Breckers appearance is also sponsored by the Yamaha Corporation.

Tickets for the evening concert may be reserved by calling the NSU Jazz Lab at 918-444-4603. For additional information, contact Arthur White, NSU Director of Jazz Studies at 918-444-4602 or whitea@nsuok.edu.

2/24/2009

Published: 2009-02-24 00:00:00