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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (April 15, 2016) – The Milligan College Jazz Ensemble’s spring concert will feature Dr. Will Campbell, who toured internationally as a member of the Harry Connick, Jr., Orchestra, and has played with music legends like Frank Sinatra, Jr., Aretha Franklin, Randy Brecker and many others.
This performance will be on Monday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m. in Milligan’s Mary B. Martin Auditorium located in Seeger Chapel. The event is free and open to the public.
“Will Campbell is one of the finest alto saxophonists on the planet,” said Rick Simerly, director of the Milligan Jazz Ensemble and associate professor of music at Milligan. “We are thrilled to have him perform with our group.”
The show’s highlights include “Big Swing Face,” by Bill Potts; “High Maintenance,” by Gordon Goodwin; “Quintessence,” by Quincy Jones; and “Norwegian Wood,” by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Campbell, a North Carolina native, is the director of jazz studies and associate professor of saxophone at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. Previously, he was the director of jazz studies at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in saxophone performance and literature from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, as well as a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music from the University of North Texas.
The Milligan Jazz Ensemble has had several notable performances including opening for the Ellis Marsalis Quartet at the Grove Park Jazz Festival; debuting the original Milligan musical, “The Gospel According to Jazz”; performing Duke Ellington’s “Nutcracker Suite” with the Johnson City Symphony; and collaborating with the ETSU Bluegrass Band to present Jazz Meets Bluegrass. Although Milligan students comprise a significant percentage of the ensemble’s membership, students and adults from throughout the region also are essential performers in the band. Because of Milligan’s commitment to the community, the band serves the dual role of a college ensemble and a community jazz band.
Posted by on April 15, 2016.