Lew Soloff

A real live one – The 15th Moores School of Music Annual Jazz Festival
Lew Soloff

Lew Soloff (Photo credit: nadworks)

featuring Lew Soloff

February 22 & 23, 2013

Holy smokes, this is going to be a great one! We are welcoming back the great Lew Soloff to MSM and we couldn’t be more thrilled. Lew gave one of the best performances in the history of our jazz festival the last time he visited in 2004. He is not only a trumpet player of tremendous talent, but also someone who brings some of the best music you will hear performed by a big band. Click here for the write-up by the UH Communication School’s Mike Emery.

Friday evening’s concert will showcase The Texas Music Festival Jazz Project, a big band made up of Texas-based jazz professionals, while Saturday evening’s performance belongs to Lew Soloff with the MSM Jazz Orchestra.* It promises to be an exciting event full of masterful musicianship, education and great jazz. If you are a student, teacher, professional musician or just a jazz fan we guarantee that you will not want to miss this weekend’s activities!

The Moores School of Music Jazz Festival features performances from middle and high schools throughout the day as well as two free clinics with Lew Soloff and the Jazz Orchestra at noon each day. No admission fee is required to observe these school performances or clinics.

*Purchase tickets to all evening events by clicking here, both concerts will start at 7:30p.

Click here for more information on the festival, including schedule, ticket information and details on how your school can participate.

There are so many events to look forward to in 2013

The 2012-13 school year has seen unprecedented growth in the MSM jazz department. Beginning this fall, the initiation of a jazz combo program has established two more  permanent jazz ensembles that rehearse and perform each semester and the Vacek Jazz Artist Residency brought a new depth to our curriculum with lectures, lessons and performances from a visiting jazz artist for a week. That is already, by most accounts, quite a bit.

But there is so much more going on in 2013.

We are kicking off the spring semester with our annual jazz festival, now in its 15th year. On February 22 & 23, we welcome back Mr. Lew Soloff, who is probably best known for his time with Blood, Sweat & Tears. Lew Soloff’s career goes much further and deeper than that, of course. He has become a musical journeyman and is heard on many recordings that span genre and style. He can do just about anything one can imagine on the trumpet, and we are thrilled to welcome him back. His last appearance at MSM was our jazz festival in 2004 where he gave a remarkable performance and is still probably our favorite jazz festival ever.

Then, from April 9-16, we welcome back Bill Evans, this time for the spring semester’s Vacek Jazz Artist Residency. Bill was our guest artist for the jazz festival in 2009. This time around, he’ll be staying with us for a week, giving lessons to students, leading many of the rehearsals and offering up wisdom that only a seasoned professional can give to eager students. The culmination of this work will be presented in a concert on April 16.

Finally, on April 26, the MSM Jazz Orchestra will perform with the great Wayne Bergeron as part of the Katy Jazz Festival. Trumpet players will surely want to check this out! If you’ve never heard Wayne perform live, then prepare to have your face melted. It’s great fun.

All this, plus the debut of several new works for big band (and big band + orchestra!) in the spring written by our very own MSM students. More on that later. 2013 will be a year characterized by fresh ideas and enthusiasm. We hope that you can join us.