University News
Al Sears Jazz Festival in Macomb's Chandler Park
September 18, 2009
MACOMB, IL - - Macomb's Chandler Park is the place to be Saturday, Sept. 19 for art and jazz at its best in western Illinois; and the looking and listening are free.
From 9 a.m.-5 p.m. enjoy the Gazebo Art Festival. The juried show will include oils, acrylics, watercolors, graphics, jewelry, photography, mixed media, glass, sculpture, wood, fiber/paper, ceramics, pastels and printmaking.
The Eighth Annual Al Sears Jazz Festival begins at noon with performers changing every hour until the final set at 10 p.m. Western Illinois University's faculty jazz ensemble and student jazz orchestra open and close the festival, with lots of great Midwest, and beyond, performers tucked in-between.
The Hopper Jazztet, the professional in-residence jazz combo in Western Illinois University's School of Music, opens the festival at noon. Formed in 2003, it honors the late Professor Emeritus Dale Hopper, who began the School of Music's jazz program in 1978. Members are John Cooper, director of Jazz Studies at Western, horn; Michael Stryker, piano; Marlene Rosenberg, double bass; and Kevin Nichols, percussion.
The Al Sears Jazz Festival lineup is:
Noon – The Hopper Jazztet, WIU
1 p.m. & 5 p.m. – Bullis-Rutter Big Band
2 p.m. & 7 p.m. – Jim Kanas Quartet
3 p.m. & 8 p.m. – St. Louis Stompers
4 p.m. - Surprisingly Hip
6 p.m. & 9 p.m. - Larry Harms Quartet with vocalist Barry Moton
10 p.m. – WIU Jazz Studio Orchestra with guest Tom Garling
The Bullis-Rutter Big Band, an 18-piece jazz band featuring musicians from throughout western Illinois, Iowa and Missouri, will play two sets, one at 1 p.m. and the other at 5 p.m. This 18-piece jazz band plays throughout the region. Their appearance is sponsored by Ann Collins, WIU music professor and department chair emeritus, who occasionally plays piano for the band.
At 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. it's the Jim Kanas Quartet. Guitarist Kanas performs throughout Chicagoland and northern Illinois. Kanas is not only a performer, he is an American folk musician, jazz guitarist and producer with the Illinois Arts Council's ArtsTour program who has conducted numerous school music residencies for more than 20 years. He also has been called "world class guitarist," by Victor Wooten; "…a master…," by the Chicago Tribune; and "a consummate veteran jazz guitarist" by Joe Ross of Bluegrass Now.
The St. Louis Stompers take the stage at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. with a crowd-pleasing repertoire of Dixieland jazz. The five-member combo, whose Dixieland stylings have been enjoyed throughout the U.S. and Europe, will also perform an 11 a.m. and a 12:45 p.m. brunch Sunday (Sept. 20) at The Old Dairy, 210 S Lafayette Street, in downtown Macomb. Tate and Sharon Lindahl of Macomb are sponsors of the St. Louis Stompers' festival performances.
The 4 p.m. set will be performed by the ensemble Surprisingly Hip from Monmouth (IL). Founded by Brian Daw and Julia Andrews, the group plays throughout the Midwest. Its appearance in Macomb is sponsored by Sterling Kerneck, a professor emeritus of history at WIU.
Performing at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. is the Peoria-based Larry Harms Quartet with vocalist Barry Moton. Harms is well known throughout the region because of his performing jazz saxophone in the Peoria area and through his work with the Central Illinois Jazz Society. The band plays weekly in Peoria and Bloomington (IL). Their appearance in the festival is sponsored by Jean Wolf and Bill Maakestad of Macomb.
Performing the fantastic finale at 10 p.m. is Western Illinois University's premier jazz group, the Jazz Studio Orchestra (JSO), under the direction of John Cooper, and with guest trombonist Tom Garling. Western's Grammy-nominated JSO plays throughout the Midwest and has played in Europe several times. Garling played for Maynard Ferguson's band for six years and was with the Buddy Rich Band for its final tour. He also played in bands backing up performers such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dizzy Gillespie and Pat Metheny.
The Al Sears Jazz Festival is sponsored by the City of Macomb, the Macomb Area Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Development Corporation and Western Illinois University as well as many volunteers, individual and business patrons.
Content by Patrick Stout
Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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