PRESS RELEASE
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS
COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS AND COMMUNICATION
September 29, 2014
CONTACT: Amanda Horton, 501-450-3682 or by email AHorton@uca.edu
ARMY JAZZ AMBASSADORS TO PERFORM AT UCA
By Carley Conrad
College of Fine Arts and Communication Media Office
CONWAY — The internationally acclaimed Jazz Ambassadors of Washington D.C. will continue their long tradition of presenting free public performances when they visit the University of Central Arkansas’s Ida Waldran Auditorium on Friday, Oct. 24,
The 7:30 p.m. performance is free, but tickets are required. They are available at the Reynolds Performance Hall Box Office on the UCA campus (201 Donaghey Ave.) from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Friday or at the Log Cabin Democrat, 1111 Main Street, Suite 102, in downtown Conway.
The Jazz Ambassadors comprise the official touring big band of the United States Army. Formed in 1969, the 19-member ensemble has received great acclaim at home and abroad performing America’s greatest original art form, jazz.
Jazz Ambassadors concerts will entertain all types of audiences. The band’s diverse repertoire includes big band swing, bebop, Latin, contemporary jazz, standards, popular tunes, Dixieland, vocals and patriotic selections, many of which are written or arranged by members of Jazz Ambassadors.
“The Jazz Ambassadors are musicians and performing artists of the highest caliber,” said Terry Wright, dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication. “Among their notable performances are appearances at the acclaimed Newport and Montreux Jazz Festivals and a series of heralded European concerts in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. They have also been featured in joint concerts with the Detroit and Baltimore symphonies.
“The late National Symphony Orchestra conductor Marvin Hamlisch once said of this fine band, ‘I cannot think of better ambassadors for our country.’”
The Jazz Ambassadors have appeared in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Japan, India and throughout Europe. Recent notable performances include concerts at the Toronto Jazz Festival, the Richmond Jazz Festival at Maymont, the Kennedy Center Honors and an appearance on The Colbert Report. Gordon Goodwin, Bobby Shew, Ernie Watts and the Dave Brubeck All-Star Quintet are among the outstanding jazz artists who have shared the stage with Jazz Ambassadors.
The band’s rigorous touring schedule and reputation for excellence has earned it the title “America’s Big Band.”
The concert is sponsored by the UCA College of Fine Arts and Communication, Log Cabin Democrat and Conway Alliance for the Arts.
For additional information, contact Amanda Horton, director of UCA Public Appearances, at (501) 450-3682 or AHorton@uca.edu. More information can also be found at www.uca.edu/reynolds and www.facebook.com/ucareynolds.
The UCA College of Fine Arts and Communication includes the Departments of Art, Communication, Mass Communication and Theatre, Music and Writing. The college’s primary mission is the preparation of the next generation of artists, educators and communicators. For more information about CFAC, visit www.uca.edu/cfac or call (501) 450-3293.
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