(Posted February 4, 2013)

The Jazz Ensemble will perform at 3 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 10.
The Jazz Ensemble will perform at 3 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 10.

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- The Juniata College Jazz Ensemble will work their way through a concert of classic jazz and pop tunes at a concert at 3 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 10, in Rosenberger Auditorium in the Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts.

Tickets for the concert are $5, and admission is free for all those age 18 and under or with a valid Juniata ID.

The jazz ensembles are conducted by Dan Yoder, lecturer in music at Juniata.

The concert will feature jazz classics by Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Green and Benny Carter, as well as pop classics from Motown and other artists.

The students will play "Blue Train," one of the seminal early recordings by tenor saxophonist John Coltrane in his "hard bop" period. A selection from earlier in jazz history will be "Blues in Hoss Flat," by renowned Count Basie arranger Frankie Foster, who was a featured saxophonist in the Basie band.

Another Count Basie jazz classic," Down for Double," written by Freddie Green, an influential guitarist who played with Count Basie for nearly 50 years, will be included in the repertoire. The ensemble veers away from jazz toward country music as they perform an arrangement of "I Can't Stop Loving You," written by country songwriter Don Gibson, but recorded by Ray Charles and other soul and pop singers.

Another tune, "Londonderry Air," which is the foundation for the song "Danny Boy," will be performed by the group. "Londonderry Air" has been recorded by many jazz musicians.

The ensemble will perform two Dizzy Gillespie compositions. The first, "Manteca," is a foundation of Afro-Cuban jazz recorded in the late 1940s. Written by Gillespie and Chano Pozo, the song is one of the most recognizable Latin jazz compositions. The second Gillespie composition is "Soul Sauce," also is an Afro-Cuban composition. The song was made famous by vibraphonist Cal Tjader who had an instrumental hit with the song.

The Benny Carter song "Miss Missouri," is a staple of large jazz ensembles. Carter, a saxophonist, was a famed arranger for a variety of big bands, including those led by Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson and County Basie. The bandleader Duke Ellington also is saluted in the song "Sir Duke," a huge hit for Motown legend Stevie Wonder.

The members of the Juniata College Jazz Ensemble are as follows:

Flute: Alex Debrecht, a sophomore from Winston-Salem, N.C.
Alto Sax: Nia Smitha freshman from Manheim, Pa., and Dominic Doganiero, a junior from Wellsboro, Pa.
Tenor Sax: Brennan Cornelius, a senior from Orbisonia, Pa., and Colin Brislawn, a junior from Tumwater, Wash.
Baritone Sax: Brian Gilbert, a sophomore from Stroudsburg, Pa.
Trombone: Maggie Burkett,a junior from Granville, Ohio; Jared Flick, a freshman from Richfield, Pa.; and Frank Conese, a community member from Huntingdon, Pa.
Trumpet: Katie Downey, a senior from Warren, Pa.; Elizabeth Faust, a sophomore from Thurmont, Md.; and Brandon Leckemby a sophomore from Somerset.
Drums: Jason Cox, a senior from Bethlehem, Pa.
Bass: Aric Koestler, a senior from Palmyra, Pa.
Guitar: Rich Schur, a junior from Blairs Mills, Pa
Piano: Ben Tansi, a junior from Wrentham, Mass.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.