2008-'09 Green Country Jazz Series Wraps With Andy Narell

TAHLEQUAH The 2008-09 Green Country Jazz Series at Northeastern State University ends on a high note with world-renowned steel drummer Andy Narell appearing in concert with the NSU Jazz Ensemble on Thursday, April 9, at 8 p.m., at the NSU Jazz Lab.

I think Andys appearance will be one of the coolest things to hit Green Country in quite some time, said Arthur White, NSU director of Jazz Studies. He is a fantastic improviser, and is incredibly well-versed in world music styles. This will be a very unique and special concert.

Narell, a New York native with a musical education from the University of California-Berkeley, is widely regarded as the finest steel pan performer in the world. He was exposed to steel drumming at an early age, courtesy of his father, a social worker and child services advocate, and the legendary steel pan inventor Ellie Mannette.

Narell has recorded and toured with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Michael Brecker, Mike Stern, and Toto, among others. Narell co-founded the Caribbean Jazz Project with Paquito DRivera and Dave Samuels, and has numerous critically acclaimed solo CDs.

Narell will be featured with the NSU Jazz Ensemble, the flagship ensemble of the NSU Jazz Studies Program. The band is celebrating the release of their critically acclaimed CD, Global Citizen: the Music of Robin Eubanks, and has appeared in concert recently with Bobby Watson, Scott Wendholt, Henry Johnson, Mulgrew Miller, Kevin Mahogany and Bob Mintzer, among others. The bands second CD, Appointment in Milano, was named one of the top 10 university jazz CDs of 2006 by Jazz Education Journal. The bands third CD, The Point, was named to the allaboutjazz.com Best of 2007 big band CD list.

Having Andy Narell in Tahlequah will be the perfect way to wrap up a remarkable performing series, said White.

Tickets for the show are $12, or $6 for students, and can be reserved by calling 918-444-4603.

Narell will present a free masterclass open to the public the day of the show at 2 p.m. at the Jazz Lab.

The concert is supported with a grant from the Oklahoma Arts Council with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Global Citizen can be purchased online at www.cdbaby.com, or at the NSU Jazz Lab for $12, and will be available the night of the show. For more information on the album or concerts, contact White at 918-444-4602.

3/30/2009

Published: 2009-03-30 00:00:00