The Hope College jazz ensembles, joined by bassist Darryl Jones of the Rolling Stones as guest artist, will present “An Evening of Jazz: A Tribute to Duke Ellington” on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
The program will consist of popular jazz selections. The Hope ensembles that will be performing, and their directors, who are members of the college’s music faculty, are: the Jazz Arts Collective, directed by Robert Shipley; The Jazz Guitar Combo, directed by Lee Heerspink; and the Steps Ahead Jazz Combo, directed by Tom Lockwood.
Jones has been a member of the Rolling Stones since 1993. He also recorded and performed with Miles Davis for five years, and in 1985 he was part of Sting’s first solo band for the first two recordings. Throughout his career, he has performed and recorded with a range of jazz, rock and soul artists, including B.B. King, Eric Clapton, LeAnn Rimes, Patti LaBelle, Rod Stewart, Madonna, Herbie Hancock and Neil Young. In addition, he leads his own band and is co-leader in other bands.
The Jazz Arts Collective is the premier large jazz ensemble at Hope College. The collective places a creative focus on ensemble communication and improvisation. Consisting of a rhythm section and flexible wind instrumentation. These select groups perform compositions and arrangements from across the full spectrum of jazz music.
The college’s jazz chamber ensembles afford students the opportunity to perform in the classic small-group combo setting. The ensembles vary in size and instrumentation, and place a creative focus on improvisation and group communication. All of the ensembles perform works from the classic jazz repertoire. The more advanced jazz chamber ensembles also perform repertoire from the contemporary jazz world. The ensembles also place an emphasis on original student and faculty compositions.
To inquire about accessibility or if you need accommodations to fully participate in the event, please email accommodations@hope.edu. Updates related to events are posted when available at hope.edu/calendar in the individual listings.
The Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts is located at 221 Columbia Ave., between 9th and 10th streets.