WCSU Jazz Fest to feature sax legends Joe Lovano & Kenny Garrett
WCSU music students, faculty also to perform in Western’s 21st annual jazz festival March 31-April 2
Western Connecticut State University will celebrate its popular spring tradition in bringing the world’s leading jazz artists to perform in Danbury as it presents the 21st annual WCSU Jazz Fest from March 31 through April 2 featuring the legendary saxophonists and composers Joe Lovano and Kenny Garrett.
This year’s Jazz Fest, presented by the WCSU Department of Music with support from the Student Government Association, will showcase the virtuoso performances and visionary original compositions of two artists widely recognized to be among the most influential and sought-after jazz saxophonists during the past three decades. Lovano, a tenor saxophonist and bandleader who has recorded two dozen albums on the Blue Note label since 1990, will perform with the WCSU Jazz Orchestra at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 1. Garrett, an alto saxophonist who began his career performing with leading jazz musicians of the 20th century and has established his own distinctive sound in recordings as a bandleader and composer over the past two decades, will appear with the Kenny Garrett Quintet at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 2.
Both performances will be in the Veronica Hagman Concert Hall of the Visual and Performing Arts Center on the WCSU Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury. General admission prices will be $15 for the Friday concert and $20 for the Saturday concert; admission will be free for WCSU students with valid ID. The WCSU jazz music faculty and students will perform ensemble sets featuring jazz classics and original works in the opening Jazz Fest concert at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 31, in the Veronica Hagman Concert Hall. Admission will be $10, or free for WCSU students with ID. Reservations for all concerts are available at www.wcsuvpac.eventbrite.com.
WCSU Coordinator of Jazz Studies and Assistant Professor of Music Jimmy Greene, whose “Beautiful Life” album earned two 2016 Grammy Award nominations, described Lovano as “one of the world’s great voices on the saxophone and a really big presence in the world of jazz music. His albums have covered a variety of different bands and configurations, but the level of creativity, soulfulness and beauty has been consistent throughout. He brings together a lot of different elements in his personal musical vocabulary. His composing and playing speak to a wide variety of influences and a curious and creative spirit.”
This year’s event also will mark the second Jazz Fest to be presented in the Veronica Hagman Concert Hall at the VPAC. Greene said that the superior acoustics of the hall have further enriched the Jazz Fest experience for audiences and performers alike, noting that several members of the Jimmy Heath band who played the hall during last year’s Jazz Fest found that the hall enhanced their performance.
“The way the sound is reflected back to the performer on stage, you get instant feedback from the sound you are making,” Greene remarked. “It’s a joy to play in that room for all of us, and it will be a beautiful-sounding weekend.”
Ticket reservations are available online for Jazz Fest concerts on March 31 at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/21st-annual-jazz-festival-featuring-wcsu-jazz-faculty-tickets-21493821599; April 1 at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/21st-annual-jazz-fest-featuring-joe-lovano-with-the-wcsu-jazz-orchestra-tickets-22223664579; and April 2 at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/21st-annual-jazz-fest-featuring-the-kenny-garrett-quintet-tickets-22224057755.
For more information, contact the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.