Jazz Small Ensembles

Monday, October 21, 2024 at 7:30pm CDT

McClintock Choral and Recital Room

Derrick Gardner and Kevin Fort, conductors

Cedar Walton was a hard bop jazz pianist who came to prominence as a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. His compositions “Firm Roots,” “Bolivia,” “Holy Land,” “Mode for Joe,” and “Cedar’s Blues” have become classics in the jazz canon, and in 2010 Walton was inducted as a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master. Trombonist, composer, and arranger J. J. Johnson was among the earliest musicians to embrace the bebop genre. A member of the Benny Carter orchestra and the Count Basie big band, he also performed with Max Roach, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis. Johnson later became active in the Third Stream movement, fusing jazz with elements of classical music. Enjoy the music of these two jazz giants, performed by the Derrick Gardner and Kevin Fort ensembles.

Tickets are $6 for the general public and $4 for students with valid ID.