University News

Al Sears Jazz Festival Sept. 12-14; Freddy Cole Quintet Sept. 13

September 5, 2008

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MACOMB, IL - - Macomb's own seventh annual Al Sears Jazz Festival, which combines the artistic talents of Western Illinois University School of Music jazz faculty and students with top regional and national performers, is scheduled for Friday-Sunday, Sept. 12-14.

Area jazz fans can enjoy a pre-festival "Al" Star jam session featuring Western Illinois student jazz combos beginning at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11 at The Secret Garden Restaurant, 2 West Side Square in downtown Macomb.

The kickoff concert with international recording artist Freddy Cole and The Freddy Cole Quartet will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12 in Western Illinois University's College of Fine Arts and Communication (COFAC) Recital Hall, located in Simpkins Hall. The younger brother of Nat King Cole, Freddy's musical selections range from Broadway to blues, George Gershwin and Duke Ellington to Lionel Richie and Kenny Rogers. Sponsored by Western's Bureau of Cultural Affairs, tickets are $15 for the public and are available at the Hainline Theatre Box Office from noon-5 p.m. weekdays, telephone (309) 298-2900. Tickets may also be purchased at wiuartstickets.com. A service fee will be added to the price of each ticket at the time of purchase.

Beginning at noon Saturday (Sept. 13) at Chandler Park off the Macomb Downtown Square, and in conjunction with the Gazebo Arts Festival, there will be 12-hours of free performances by eight groups on the Chandler Park festival stage. Four of the groups will perform afternoon and evening sets.

The Western Illinois University Guitar Ensemble, directed by Matthew Warnock, will open the festival at noon.

The David Hoffman Quintet with vocalist Semenya McCord (semenyamccord.com) will take the festival stage for performances at 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. Hoffman (davidhoffmanjazz.com), a member of the Central Illinois Jazz Society, splits his time between Peoria, when he teaches, and San Diego, when he plays with several groups. He was the trumpet/flugelhorn soloist and composer/arranger with the Ray Charles Orchestra from 1991-2004; and he has performed at most of the world's major jazz festivals. Returning vocalist McCord, a Galesburg native, teaches jazz voice at Knox College and Carl Sandburg College. She performed throughout New England from 1975-2002, developing programs and residencies featuring spirituals, blues and traditional and contemporary jazz for audiences of all ages.

Jazz violinist Diane Delin and her quartet, along with Chicago-based vocalist and guitarist Greg Pasenko will entertain at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Delin has twice been voted a "Rising Star" by Downbeat Magazine's Critic's Poll (2007, 2005). Pasenko, the founder and president of the alternative jazz record label Blujazz, has played and led bands around the world.

The St. Louis Rivermen combo, formerly led by Jean Kittrell, will perform at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. under the direction of David "Red" Lehr, who is the last remaining original member of the band. Kittrell retired this summer at age 81. They group will also play the 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14 gospel jazz brunches at The Old Dairy, 210 S. Lafayette St., Macomb. The New Orleans-style brunch will include shrimp jambalaya, ham, sausage, southern-style biscuits and gravy, thick-sliced bacon, potatoes, scrambled eggs, fruit, garden salad and bagels with Cajun topping or cream cheese. Advance reservations, $12, are required; call (309) 837-6700. A portion of each meal price will be donated to Loaves and Fishes to further its work in assisting those in need in throughout the county.

Craig Russo's Latin Jazz Project hits the bandshell at 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. with a mix of Afro-Cuban inspired rhythms and unique arrangements of jazz standards. A Latin Beat magazine reviewer said the group's latest CD, "In the Middle" (Cagoots Records, 2007), "explore(s) unlimited creative possibilities that fuse Afro-Caribbean rhythms with modern jazz sensibilities and masterful arrangements."

Western's faculty ensemble, The Hopper Jazztet, will perform at 5 p.m. Formed in 2003 to honor Dale Hopper, who started Western's jazz program, the Hopper Jazztet includes School of Music Jazz Studies Director John Cooper, trumpet; Michael Stryker, piano; Kevin Nichols, drums; and Marlene Rosenberg, bass.

A trio of WIU jazz music alumni will perform at 6 p.m. Vocalist Kim Wilson, who earned her bachelor's degree in music (1990) and her master's degree in public communications and broadcasting (1993), was the featured singer on Western's Jazz Studio Orchestra's CD "The Third Degree" (Sea Breeze Vista, 1994), which earned a four-star review in the October 1995 issue of Down Beat magazine and was nominated for a Grammy Award. Wilson also can be heard on the "Live in Europe" CD (Sea Breeze Records, 1998), a collection of songs recorded on JSO's Summer 1997 20-day, 11-performance tour of Spain, Germany, France and Italy. Accompanying Wilson will be returning festival favorites, drummer Frank Parker (B.A. 1995) and bassist Ben Willis (B.A. 1995).

Western's premier jazz performance ensemble, the Jazz Studio Orchestra, directed by Cooper, will close the evening with an 11 p.m. set.

For more information, see searsjazzfestival.com.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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