Bill Yeager Jazz Orchestra Performs March 19 for One Night Only in School of Music and Dance
The Bill Yeager Jazz Orchestra (BYJO) is in residence at SDSU for another year to perform an all Latin Jazz Concert. Emeritus Professor Bill Yeager served 36 years as Director of Jazz Studies at San Diego State University and 10 years as founder and director of the Los Angeles Jazz Workshop.
The band is composed of Jazz Workshop and SDSU Alumni that make up artist level musicians, including vocalist Anastaya Koral. The event is also being recorded for a television show, highlighting over 30 audio tracks with the help of 10 cameras.
The 20-piece ensemble will take place on March 19, with two showings at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., both at Smith Recital Hall.
Tickets are on sale now at $10 for students and $15 for general admission. All SDSU Music faculty, staff, and students can attend at no cost.
The orchestra will play eight dynamic Latin Jazz pieces including:
Manha De Carnival (Theme from Black Orpheus).....Luis Bonfa, Arr. Eric Richards
Naima ……………………………………………………John Coltrane, Arr. Brad Steinwehe
Choro Dancado………………………………………….Maria Schneider
Wgasa Jam………………………………………………Karl Soukup
A Night in Tunisia……………………………………….Dizzy Gillespie, Arr. John Gove
Killer Joe…………………………………………………Benny Golson, Arr. Javier Arau
Agua De Beber………………………………………….Antonio Carlos Jobim, Arr. Ron Newman
The Goombay Smash……………………………….…Steve Owen
About Jazz Studies in the School of Music and Dance:
With a mission of providing the highest quality musical education and to making a substantial contribution to the cultural life of its region and the world, the program strives to reinforce the integral value of music in society. The jazz studies program is committed to turning out students who are competent, passionate, highly motivated and willing to take risks. From education to research, from performance to composition, students can create strong individual profiles to enhance their musical development. Through immersion in an environment of rigorous teaching, open inquiry, and deep exploration, students are encouraged to create works, performances, and ideas that have yet to be imagined. At the International Association of Jazz Educators Convention, famed jazz critic Leonard Feather described the SDSU Jazz Ensemble #1’s bristling set as a yardstick to measure college jazz bands.
The content within this article has been edited by Lizbeth Persons.
