Lafayette Online » Purdue Jazz Bands

‘Evening of Romance’ offers a big-band valentine on Feb 13

Carolyn Shelby — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:15:31 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Tickets are on sale for the Purdue Jazz Band’s 10th annual Valentine’s Day celebration “Evening of Romance,” scheduled for Feb. 13 at University Plaza in West Lafayette.

The cabaret-style event, which recreates the atmosphere of big-band dance clubs of the 1940s — where couples came to enjoy music, dancing, food and each other’s company — offers seating at candlelit tables surrounding the dance floor.

The Purdue Jazz Band starts playing at 8 p.m. in the hotel’s grand ballroom. The event runs to approximately 10:30 p.m. At intermission, a dessert buffet will be offered and a jazz combo will perform on the hotel mezzanine. Gourmet coffees and a cash bar complete the romantic experience.

Directed by M.T. “Mo” Trout, the Purdue Jazz Band will set the mood for the evening by performing a selection of romantic jazz tunes for listening and dancing.

All seats are reserved. Tables accommodate either four or eight people. Couples and individuals wishing to sit together as a group need to make reservations at the same time. Guests can select their table location at the time of purchase. Tickets are $19.50 per person, which includes the dessert buffet. To reserve tickets through the Purdue box office; call 765-494-4933 or 800-914-SHOW.

A sell-out is anticipated, so early reservations are encouraged. For more information call Kathy Matter at 765-496-6785.

Purdue Jazz Festival turns 20 in 2010

Carolyn Shelby — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 20:23:50 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Celebrating its 20th year, the Purdue Jazz Festival will offer a special Community Jazz Showcase Concert on Thursday (Jan. 21), featuring the U.S. Army Jazz Ambassadors.

Master Sgt. Jeff Lopez plays bass during a concert with the Jazz Ambassadors - America's Big Band. Photo Credit: TUSAFB Stock Photo

The sold-out concert, co-sponsored by Purdue Bands & Orchestras and the Lafayette Journal and Courier, also features performances by Harrison, Jefferson, McCutcheon and West Lafayette High School Jazz bands with Chicago trumpeter Bob Lark. It begins at 7 p.m. at the Long Center, 111 N. Sixth St., Lafayette.

Other headliners for the Festival include the Dave Holland Quintet at 8 p.m. Friday (Jan. 22) in Loeb Playhouse; and groundbreaking clarinetist Eddie Daniels with the Purdue Jazz Band at the Festival Finale concert at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23, in Loeb Playhouse.

A special anniversary event, funded by a grant from the Indiana Arts Commission through its Regional Arts Partners program, is a day of jazz at Rossville High School on Tuesday (Jan. 19). Members of the Purdue Jazz Band, director Mo Trout and guest trumpeter Bob Lark from Chicago, will work with Rossville’s jazz students during the day then present an evening concert at the school.

For all 20 years, the heart of the festival has been the high school and middle school competition, which draws instrumental jazz ensembles from four states. On Jan. 23, 83 big bands and combos will compete throughout the day in seven locations in the Purdue Stewart Center, Purdue Memorial Union and Pao Hall on Purdue’s campus. The music starts at 8 a.m. and continues through 5 p.m. It’s all free. All the festival guest artists will give clinics that also are free and open to the public.

This year’s artist-in-residence, Bob Lark will be spotlighted with the DePaul University Jazz Band he directs at a noon concert on Jan. 23 in Loeb Playhouse that’s free and open the public. Saxophonist Mark Colby, also from Chicago’s jazz scene, will be featured on the same concert.

Related festival events include a jazz jam led by Purdue musicians at Vienna Espresso, Friday (Jan. 22), and a Midwinter Jazz & Swing Dance at Jefferson High School at 3 p.m. Jan. 24.

For complete details visit http://www.purdue.edu/bands/jazzfest. To purchase tickets for headliner concerts call 494-3933 or 800-914-SHOW. No tickets are available for the Jan. 21 show.

Memorable moments come alive in ‘Jazz from the Movies’

Carolyn Shelby — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:03:57 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — What does the chick flick “When Harry Met Sally” have in common with the animated feature “The Incredibles?” Both films use jazz to tell their stories.

West Side Story's 'Somewhere' didn't start out as a jazz tune, but the Roger Holmes arrangement takes it there.

For movie lovers, the first concert of the jazz season for Purdue’s American Music Repertory Ensemble, Lab Jazz Band and Jazz Choir, “Jazz from the Movies,” is filled with musical nuggets from these and other classic films. It is set for 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, in Loeb Playhouse of the Purdue Stewart Center. Admission is free.

“Usually jazz is used to create the feeling of an urban setting or a shady, back alley atmosphere,” says director M.T. “Mo” Trout. “But this concert focuses on jazz used in positive ways and, in some cases, unique ways.”

The range of movie titles being tackled by the bands runs the gamut from Johnny Mandel’s Academy Award-winning “The Shadow of Your Smile” to Disney’s “Mickey Mouse March,” and from West Side Story’s “Somewhere” to The Polar Express’ “Hot Chocolate.”

Clint Eastwood, a jazz musician himself, experiments widely with jazz in his movies, and the concert recognizes his efforts with “Play Misty for Me” from the film by that name. Woody Allen, who plays clarinet in a Dixieland Band, also uses jazz to underscore his offbeat characters. The American Music Repertory Ensemble performs “I Can’t Believe That You’re in Love with Me” from Allen’s “Anything Else.”

“Jazz has made use of music from lots of Broadway musicals,” Trout says.

West Side Story’s “Somewhere” didn’t start out as a jazz tune, but the Roger Holmes arrangement takes it there. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz “has been taken over by jazz musicians and is now considered a jazz standard,” he adds.

“Henry Mancini has written many great sound tracks, and they’re all jazz influenced,” Trout adds. “The Pink Panther” might be Mancini’s best known music, but Trout opts to present Mancini’s first foray into jazz with the theme from the TV series ‘Peter Gunn.’ After that jazz became forever associated with private eyes and James Bond characters.”

Jazz also surfaces in biographical movies, and that’s explored in “Straight No Chaser” from Thelonious Monk: Straight No Chaser and “Beyond the Sea” from the film about singer Bobby Darrin.

Probably the most unique use of jazz in a film comes in Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles,” where a desert caravan comes across the Count Basie Band playing big band jazz in the middle of nowhere. In honor of that classic screen moment, the concert comes to a close with the American Music Repertory Ensemble playing Vernon Duke and E.Y. Harburg’s 1932 classic “April in Paris.”

“Music from the Movies” is presented by Purdue Bands & Orchestras. For more information on upcoming events visit www.purdue.edu/bands

Greater Lafayette Stars and Stripes 2009 final plans announced

Carolyn Shelby — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:18:51 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Greater Lafayette, Indiana’s annual “Stars & Stripes” Fourth of July concert and fireworks display at Purdue University’s Slayter Center for the Performing Arts will once again feature the Lafayette Citizen’s Band, the Greater Lafayette Freedom Singers, the Purdue Summer Jazz Band and the Tippecanoe Ancient Fife and Drum Corps. Music begins at 7:00pm and will end around 10:00pm, to be followed by the 25 minute fireworks display.

The evening’s musical festivities begin with the Purdue Summer Jazz Band, under the direction of Mo Trout, beginning at 7:00pm. The Lafayette Citizen’s Band, conducted by William D. Kisinger, follows at 8:00pm with the Greater Lafayette Freedom Singers, directed by Eric VanCleave.

The Lafayette Citizen’s Band and the Freedom Singers honor the armed forces with the “Armed Forces Salute”. Other selections will include “The Stars and Stripes Forever” and “God Bless America” featuring vocal soloist Twanna Harris. Dustin Hopkins, vocal soloist, will perform his rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “The Summer Wind”. And finally, a rousing performance of Hail Purdue.

The Tippecanoe Ancient Fife and Drums Corps will perform during the intermission.

Stars and Stripes festivites, parking and campus map. Click to download PDF version.

VIP and Reserved Priority Parking

Priority parking spaces await those who purchase VIP Parking passes. The $20.00 passes guarantee convenient parking to Slayter Center. The lots open at 5:00pm and the passes will be honored until 8:00pm. The entrance to the VIP lots is via N. Martin Jischke Drive in West Lafayette. The reserved lots are also granted priority egress after the concert.

VIP parking passes are available beginning Wednesday, June 24th at all locations of Lafayette Bank & Trust and Regions Bank, Lafayette City Hall Clerk’s Office and the West Lafayette City Hall Mayor’s Office.

Tickets are also available at the following Pay Less Super Market locations:

65 Beck Lane, Lafayette
2200 Greenbush, Lafayette
2513 Maple Point Drive, Lafayette
1032 Sagamore Parkway West, West Lafayette

General Information

Parking is available at the Ross-Ade Stadium parking lots, Northwestern and University parking garages, and Intramural Field. Parking is prohibited along McCormick Road and Cherry Lane — violators will be towed. Handicap-accessible parking locations are available off of N. Martin Jischke Drive. Purdue officials will provide convenient exits for all, but urge motorists to have patience when trying to leave the campus area.

Smoking, pets, personal fireworks and alcoholic beverages are prohibited. An information booth will be located on the south side of Slayter Center for lost children and other event information.

Mullen’s Family Concessions will be located in the immediate vicinity of Slayter Center and concert goers are urged to bring their own seating.

There is no rain date scheduled for the 2009 Greater Lafayette Stars & Stripes celebration.

Purdue Bands to perform in 4 weekend concerts

Carolyn Shelby — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 01:26:06 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Some 700 student performers will take the stage during a series of four concerts Friday through Sunday (April 24-26) at Purdue University.

All four concerts are free and open to the public.

The first concert is an 8 p.m. Friday (April 24) show featuring the Purdue Symphonic and Concert bands at Elliott Hall of Music. Two more concerts will be offered at Elliott Hall of Music on Saturday (April 25), including a 6 p.m. performance featuring the Purdue Philharmonic and Symphony orchestras and an 8 p.m. show highlighting the University and Collegiate Concert bands. The weekend’s final performance is Jazz on the Hill at 2:30 p.m. Sunday (April 26) at Slayter Center of Performing Arts.

The weekend's events will serve as a finale of the 2008-09 performing season for Purdue Bands & Orchestra.

The ensembles will perform a variety of styles including classical, street music, Latin and jazz, with some groups emphasizing music written by contemporary composer Roger Cichy. He will be on hand to work with a few of the groups and conduct a number of his own compositions. Some of the Cichy pieces the bands will tackle include “Bugs,” “Colours,” “Reliance,” “T-Rex” and “Interpretations.”

The Jazz on the Hill concert will pay tribute to jazz composer Stan Kenton, with performances by the Purdue Jazz Band, American Music Repertory Ensemble, Lab Jazz Band, Concert Jazz Band and the Jazz Conception Ensemble. The show will be outdoors, and attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs for comfortable seating.

The weekend’s events will serve as a finale of the 2008-09 performing season for Purdue Bands & Orchestra.

Purdue Jazz Festival gets under way with Mingus Big Band

Carolyn Shelby — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:27:25 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue Jazz Festival will open with a tribute to Charles Mingus, an important figure in 20th century American music, by the 14-member Mingus Big Band at 8 p.m. Jan. 16 in Purdue Stewart Center’s Loeb Playhouse.

The performance is presented by Purdue Convocations as part of the Purdue Jazz Festival, Convocations’ annual collaboration with Purdue University Bands. The festival, which runs Jan. 15-18, brings more than 2,000 middle and high school students to campus for clinics and concerts with noted jazz artists and clinicians.

The Mingus Big Band kicks off the 2009 Purdue Jazz Festival on January 16

The performance, titled “50th Anniversary Performance: Mingus Ah Um and Blues & Roots,” commemorates the release of two well-known Mingus albums. The recordings reveal Mingus as a virtuoso bass player, accomplished pianist, bandleader and composer who infused the conventional big band sound of the 1950s and ’60s with avant-garde techniques, idiosyncratic rhythms and a sense of humor, said Abby Eddy, director of marketing for Purdue Convocations.

Keeping his music alive in a weekly set at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City, the Mingus Big Band features a roster of New York musicians who impart a sense of joy in Mingus’s already spirited music, Eddy said. The group last performed at Purdue in 1999 to a sold-out crowd.

The concert will follow a pre-show discussion by Don Seybold, a jazz expert and former associate director of Convocations, who will speak about Mingus’s legacy, his albums and the band’s approach to propelling his music into the future. The discussion will get under way at 7 p.m. in Purdue Memorial Union, Room 118.

An autograph session with the artists will immediately follow the performance in the Stewart Center West Lobby.

Tickets are $30 for adults and $22 for children 18 years and younger, Purdue students and Ivy Tech Lafayette students. Tickets are available at the Elliott Hall and Stewart Center box offices at (765) 494-3933 or (800) 914-SHOW. Tickets also are available through Ticketmaster outlets. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more can be ordered at (765) 496-1977.

Purdue West Lafayette events for April 14-20

Carolyn Shelby — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 03:00:09 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Here is a list of events happening April 14-20 at the Purdue University West Lafayette campus.

All week

Through April 20. “Autotelematic Spider Bots.” Stewart Center Gallery. Made by artist Ken Rinaldo, an associate professor of art and technology at Ohio State University, the Spider Bots are five spider-like sculptures that interact with the public in real-time and self-modify their behaviors based on their interaction with the viewer, themselves and their environment. They will function for 15-minute periods at 10:30 a.m. and at 12:30, 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. daily. Sponsored by Purdue Galleries. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday, plus Thursday until 8 p.m., and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.
Through April 20. “Machinic Drift.” Robert L. Ringel Gallery in the Purdue Memorial Union. Various interactive works and imagery by artist Ken Rinaldo, including robotic fish and electronic sound work sculptures. Sponsored by Purdue Galleries. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday, plus Thursday until 8 p.m., and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

Monday-Friday

John Purdue Room Lunch Special. This week, the featured specials are French Onion & Garlic & Shrimp over Linguini. To access the menu: www.cfs.purdue.edu/htm/about/restaurants.shtml.
Through April 29. “Chronicling Women’s History at Purdue: Selections from the Susan Bulkeley Butler Women’s Archives.” Artifacts, documents and photographs highlighting the history of University women. The exhibit includes collections on the “Queen of American Agriculture”, the “Mother of Modern Management,” Amelia Earhart and more. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Room 279, STEW. www.lib.purdue.edu/spcol.
Fine Arts Senior Exhibition. Annual exhibition of artworks from seniors majoring in the fine arts including painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, textiles and metals. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Patti and Rusty Rueff Galleries, Pao Hall. Through April 25.

Monday-Thursday

Purdue Grand Prix advance ticket sales. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on mall side of Materials and Electrical Engineering Building and in front of Class of 1950 Lecture Hall. Ticket sale rain location: West lobby, STEW. Tickets: $7 in advance, $10 at gate on race day, Saturday, April 19. More about ticket-merchandise package and the race is at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008a/080331LantzPrix.html.

Monday, April 14

Birck Nanotechnology Center Annual Research Symposium. 1-5:30 p.m. Room 121, Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship. Scheduled speakers and link to registration at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/insidepurdue/2008/080410_DP-review.html
Recreational Sports Blood Drive. 3-7 p.m. Room 119, Recreational Sports Center. Bring picture ID, and drink plenty of fluids beforehand.

Tuesday, April 15

Softball vs. Valparaiso. 3 and 5 p.m. Varsity Softball Complex. Tickets: public, $5; students, $2.
Conversations on Teaching. Speaker: Tim Newby, College of Education. Topic: Using technology to provide students with quality feedback in a quick, painless manner. 3:30-5 p.m. Room 302, STEW.
Literary Awards banquet and reading. Department of English, Purdue Libraries, College of Liberal Arts. Michael Chabon, Pulitzer Prize-winning author. 8 p.m., free and open to public: AuthorÕs reading, Loeb Playhouse, STEW. Book signing to follow; books on sale at site. (Ticket deadline has passed for 5:30 p.m. banquet, North Ballroom, PMU.)

Wednesday, April 16

Bioethics Lectures Series. Eric Meslin, director, IU Center for Bioethics, and associate dean, IU School of Medicine. “Ethical Issues in Constructing and Using Biobanks.” 6-7:30 p.m. Room 121, Burton Morgan Center. www.purdue.edu/bioethics.

Thursday, April 17

Education dean candidate forum. Sidney Moon, Purdue. 9-10:15 a.m. Room 310, STEW. http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008a/080324DepewDean.html
Physics Department General Colloquium. Speaker Paul McEuen, Cornell University. Topic: Nano carbon: from terahertz transistors to atomic membranes. Talk at 4 p.m. Room 223, PHYS. Refreshments at 3:30 p.m. Room 242, PHYS.
Department of Chemistry Joseph F. Foster Memorial Lecture. Speaker: Dr. Susan Taylor, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Diego. Topic: Dynamics of PKA Signaling. 4:30-5:30 p.m. Room 104, WTHR.
Digital Cinema Contest showing and awards ceremony. Digital Learning Collaboratory. Doors open at 5 p.m.; awards at 6:30 p.m. Wabash Landing 9 Theater, 300 E. State St. http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008a/080409FritchCinema.html
Series on Corporate Citizenship and Ethics. Paul Sarbanes, former U.S. senator. Krannert School of Management and the College of Education’s James F. Ackerman Center for Democratic Citizenship. 7 p.m. Fowler Hall, STEW.
Cherryholmes. Convocations, Frets on Fire. 7:30 p.m. Loeb. $15.

April 17-19

Purdue Theatre. “Hair” by James Rado, Gerome Ragni and Galt McDermott. Marquee Series. 7:30 p.m. April 17-19; midnight (end of day) April 18. Nancy T. Hansen Theatre, Pao Hall. Tickets: public, $18; 62+ seniors, $15; students, $12.

Friday, April 18

G.A. Leonards Lecture sponsored by Purdue Geotechnical Society. Speaker: Jean-Lou Chameau, president, California Institute of Technology. Title: Role of the University in Education for Sustainability. 4:30 p.m. Krannert Auditorium.
Purdue Bands Showcase I. Symphonic Band and Symphony Orchestra. 8 p.m. Elliott Hall of Music. 49-66785.

Saturday, April 19

Track and field. Dave Rankin Invitational. All day. Rankin Track and Field. Tickets: public, $5; students, $2.
Men’s golf. Boilermaker Invitational. All day. Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex. Also Sunday.
Purdue Grand Prix. Pits open at 9 a.m. Track seating opens at 10 a.m. Practice is 10:10-11 a.m. Heats start at 11:20 a.m. Feature race of 160 laps at 2:30 p.m. Tickets: $7 in advance, $10 at gate. Advance sales 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday on mall side of Materials and Electrical Engineering Building and in front of Class of 1950 Lecture Hall. Ticket sale rain location: West lobby, STEW.
Women’s tennis vs. Iowa. 11 a.m. Schwartz Tennis Center.
Spring football game. Noon. Ross-Ade Stadium.
Purdue Bands Showcase II. University, Varsity, Collegiate and Concert bands. 2:30 p.m. Elliott Hall of Music. 49-66785.
Jahari Dance Troupe Spring Revue. Black Cultural Center ensemble. 7 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, STEW. Admission: public, $7; Purdue students, $5.
Purduette Spring Spectacular. Purdue Musical Organizations. 7:30 p.m. Long Center, 111 N. Sixth St., Lafayette. Tickets: public $15, students $12.
Movie on the Hill. “National Treasure: Book of Secrets.” Purdue Student Union Board. 9:30-11:30 p.m. Slayter Center. Free, with food for sale. www.union.purdue.edu/psub or 49-48976.

Sunday, April 20

Men’s golf. Boilermaker Invitational. All day. Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex.
Women’s tennis vs. Minnesota. 11 a.m. Schwartz Tennis Center.
Jazz on the Hill. Purdue jazz bands. 2:30 p.m. Slayter Center. Rain location: Elliott Hall of Music. 49-66785.
Heart & Soul Spring Show. Purdue Musical Organizations. 7 p.m. Word of Life Fellowship Church, 3650 Greenbush, Lafayette.

Lafayette Online » Purdue Jazz Bands

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