Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia Jazz Band, under the direction of Steve Dancz, will present its final concert of the year on April 30 at 5 p.m. at the Atlanta International School. The concert will close a daylong celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month festivities and is co-sponsored by the Southeastern Organization for Jazz Arts. Tickets for the concert are $15 for the public and $5 for students, and are available at the door or online through SOJA.
The performance by the UGA Jazz Band will feature several of Atlanta’s finest musicians as guest artists, including trombonist Eric Alexander, trumpeter Mike Barry, trombonist Dave Daly and saxophonist Marc Gilley. Gilley and Daly previously performed with the UGA Jazz Band at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. This performance also will feature UGA graduate teaching assistant Chuck Arnold in his final performance with the ensemble.
The UGA jazz studies program was established in the 1970s when Roger Dancz added a performing organization, the UGA Jazz Ensemble, and a jazz improvisation course to the Hugh Hodgson School of Music curriculum. Although not offered as a degree program, jazz and the ability to improvise in a variety of styles is seen as an important element of a well-rounded musical and artistic education. Steve Dancz has directed the UGA jazz studies program since 1992 and in 2006 was a co-founder of the interdisciplinary music business program in UGA’s Terry College of Business. The UGA Jazz Band gives students the opportunity to play with top performers in some of the most renowned venues in the world.
“We are incredibly excited to be part of this major event in Atlanta and to be joined on stage by all of these fantastic local players,” said Dancz, who wrote the musical score for the pre-Super Bowl film “The Declaration of Independence,” which was broadcast before this year’s Super Bowl. “The last concert of the year is always a bittersweet event as we say goodbye to all the graduating members, and this is especially true of Chuck Arnold, who has brought such musical maturity and stylistic integrity to the ensemble.”
The Atlanta International School auditorium is located at 2890 North Fulton Drive, Atlanta, Georgia. For directions and more information on the school, see http://www.aischool.org/.For more information on the UGA jazz studies program, see http://www.uga.edu/jazz/.