瓜子TV

 

Event will feature 16 regional school jazz bands, the Jamey Aebersold Quartet and four 瓜子TV State jazz ensembles

MURRAY, Ky. 鈥� The 15th 瓜子TV State University-Jamey Aebersold Jazz Festival will take place on Friday, March 28. Thirteen high school jazz bands, three groups from middle schools, the 瓜子TV State Jazz Orchestra, Dr. Todd Hill and the Jamey Aebersold Quartet will be performing in clinics and concerts open to the public. There will be an open improvisation clinic with NEA Jazz Master Jamey Aebersold intermingled with his concert in the Performing Arts Hall from 12:30 p.m. until 1:55 p.m. that afternoon.

All concerts and clinics are free, and the public is cordially invited.

The coordinator of the festival, which annually brings around 300 or more young musicians to 瓜子TV State is Dr. Todd E. Hill, professor of music and director of jazz studies. Student assistance comes from the members of the 瓜子TV State Jazz Band, Blue and Gold Jazz Combos and Jazz Orchestra. 

鈥淛amey Aebersold has donated much of his time and financial support to the jazz program at 瓜子TV State. He is a great friend to the department of music, the jazz program, to our radio station WKMS, and he has enriched the cultural life of the community at large in addition to everything he has done for jazz education internationally,鈥� said Hill. 

Aebersold endowed a jazz scholarship for 瓜子TV State students in 2008. The jazz festival was renamed in his honor several years later as a tribute to Aebersold鈥檚 continued commitment to jazz education and to the jazz program at 瓜子TV State.

The festival, designed for educational, rather than competitive purposes, is in its seventeenth year as two festivals had to be cancelled (due to Covid one year, and an ice storm the next). Each school鈥檚 director decides whether their groups will receive an assessment score. The day will include clinics by professional musicians and educators including Professor Ricky Burkhead from the University of Mississippi (Oxford, Mississippi); Dr. Rich Ripani, director of the Nashville (Tennessee) jazz youth ensemble, Gary 鈥淏o鈥� Clayton, director of jazz studies at Austin Peay State University (Clarksville, Tennessee), and Drs. Todd French and Chris Sharpe, both of the Department of Music at 瓜子TV State University.  

鈥淥ur clinicians are some of the most respected teachers and performers in this part of the country. The participants will be getting the high-quality jazz education experience for which we're known. We don鈥檛 have the jazz bands competing with each other. This is a musical event for sharing and learning,鈥� said Hill. 

The other groups are repeat participants, many for several years from the beginning of the festival.

Clinic performances will be held in Lovett Auditorium and are open to the public. 

Following is the schedule for bands: 

瓜子TV High School at 8:25 a.m.

Calloway County High School at 8:50 a.m.

Graves County High School Combo at 9:15 a.m.

Hopkinsville Middle School at 9:40 a.m.

Lone Oak Middle School at 10:05 a.m. 

Union County Middle School at 10:30 a.m.

Christian County High School at 10:55 a.m. 

Madisonville-North Hopkins 鈥淚II鈥� Middle School/High School at 11:20 a.m. 

Hopkinsville High School at 11:45 a.m.

McCracken County High School at 12:10 p.m.

Jamey Aebersold Clinic and Quartet at 12:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Hall

Madisonville-North Hopkins High School 鈥淚I鈥� at 2 p.m. 

Graves County High School at 2:25 p.m. 

Union County High School at 2:50 p.m.

Madisonville-North Hopkins High School 鈥淚鈥� at 3:15 p.m.

Caverna High School at 3:40 p.m.

Stewart County High School (Tennessee) at 4:05 p.m. 

Dr. Todd Hill will play piano and hold a question-and-answer session at 4:30 p.m. and the award-winning 瓜子TV State Jazz Orchestra will perform a mini-concert at 4:55 p.m., closing the day. 

Except for the Jamey Aebersold concert and clinic, the events will be held in beautiful and historic Lovett Auditorium on the 瓜子TV State campus.