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The festival will from April 23 through April 25 and feature concert performances by National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Kenny Barron and Jimmy Heath.
This year’s Jazz Fest will celebrate the rich musical legacy of two artists who came of age several decades apart on the vibrant jazz scene of Philadelphia and shared a common mentor in the legendary trumpeter and bandleader Dizzy Gillespie.
Barron, an acclaimed jazz pianist since the 1960s and bandleader who has released more than 40 recordings, will perform with the WCSU Jazz Orchestra at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 24.
Heath, whose remarkable career as saxophonist, bandleader, composer and arranger spans seven decades and more than 100 recordings, will appear with the Jimmy Heath Big Band at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 25.
Barron was honored by the NEA in 2010 as a Jazz Master Fellowship recipient for his “exceptional contributions to the advancement of jazz.” He has been named six times as Best Pianist by the Jazz Journalists Association and inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame.
Heath, who received the NEA Jazz Master Fellowship in 2003, hails from a family of jazz greats who have frequently performed as an ensemble, including his brothers, bassist and fellow NEA Jazz Master Percy and drummer Tootie, and his son, percussionist and composer Mtume.
Both performances will be in the Veronica Hagman Concert Hall of the Visual and Performing Arts Center on the Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Ext. in Danbury. Admission to the Friday concert will be $20, and $10 for seniors, students with valid ID and children under 12. Admission to the Saturday concert will be $50, and $20 for students with valid ID. Reservation information is available at 203-837-TIXX and at www.wcsu.edu/tickets.
Western music faculty and select student performers will present ensemble sets featuring jazz classics and original works in the opening Jazz Fest concert at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 23, in the Veronica Hagman Concert Hall. Admission will be free and the public is invited to attend.
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