News Release

CHAPEL HILL -- Jazz fans and students will have diverse opportunities to listen to and learn from veteran musicians Marcus Roberts, Jason Marsalis, Roland Guerin, Dave Stryker and Ray Vega during the 2005 Carolina Jazz Festival Feb. 23-26.

The 28^th annual festival, held at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, also includes performances by the N.C. Jazz Repertory Orchestra, UNC Jazz Band and UNC Jazz Combos. Also featured will be concerts, student and faculty performances, discussions and late-night jams at local clubs, as well as special clinics and performances with high school jazz students.

Each year, the festival strives for a combination of concerts for the public’s enjoyment and special opportunities for UNC undergraduates and high school students to learn with professionals, said James Ketch, professor of music in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences.

"This year we are especially fortunate to have had the Marcus Roberts Trio as visiting artists-in-residence available to students on campus and in the public schools," he said. "We are also thrilled that Dave Stryker and Ray Vega will be here to participate in our festival, as well as the North Carolina Region East Jazz Clinic at East Chapel Hill High School.

"We want to convey in all of our festival venues and presentation formats the beauty, power, emotion and meaning of the jazz art form. This is why we have determined the theme of the 2005 Carolina Jazz Festival to be ‘Journey into Swing.’ The festival is an open invitation to the students and the community to come along for a most enjoyable ride."

As artists-in-residence, the Marcus Roberts Trio agreed to work with UNC and local students during three two-week periods beginning in October, culminating with the Carolina Jazz Festival this month.

Roberts, Marsalis and Guerin have focused on the works of N.C. natives and jazz legends Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane. The trio also composed a new work, "Journey into Swing," to celebrate an all-state jazz festival for N.C. high schools, the Carolina Jazz Festival and upcoming re-opening of UNC’s Memorial Hall this fall.

The residency was supported by the Carolina Union as part of its Performing Arts Series.

The Marcus Roberts Trio offers a blend of the past and future of American jazz. Pianist and composer Roberts lost his sight at age 5, began teaching himself piano a few years later and went on to study classical piano at Florida State University. By age 21, he was a member of the Wynton Marsalis band. Roberts continued to tour and record with the famed trumpeter for the next six years.

The New York Times named Roberts’ 2001 recording, "Cole After Midnight," one of the 10 best jazz CDs of the year.

Jason Marsalis, the youngest son of pianist Ellis Marsalis and brother of Wynton and Branford Marsalis, began playing drums at age 3. The youngest member of the famous family studied music at Loyola University. Marsalis has been performing with Marcus Roberts and the trio since 1994, when he was 17.

Guerin, a bassist, composer and arranger, was selected by Jazz Review for its "Fantasy Jazz Band." He studied at Southern University in Baton Rouge and began playing with Roberts in 1995. Guerin has four recordings of his own and appears on more than 45 recordings worldwide with Roberts, Ellis Marsalis, Mark Whitfield and others.

Downbeat Magazine named Stryker one of the top 10 guitarists of 2001, and Village Voice critic Gary Giddins has called him "one of the most distinctive guitarists to come along in recent years."

Stryker toured and recorded with tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine for nine years and he has played with many other jazz greats including Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, Jack McDuff and Kevin Mahogany. Since 1988, Stryker has been a leader or sideman on nearly 50 recordings.

A native of the South Bronx, Vega has established himself as one of the innovators of the New York jazz trumpet scene. A multi-talented trumpeter, percussionist, composer and arranger of jazz and salsa, he is a veteran of the bands of many other jazz leaders including Tito Puente, Ray Barretto and Mongo Santamaria. He has been a leader or sideman on 35 recordings, including four Grammy winners with Puente. He is a professor at the music conservatory at the State University of New York in Purchase.

The N.C. Jazz Repertory Orchestra, directed by Ketch, is made up of 18 musicians statewide. Orchestra members teach at N.C. colleges and universities such as UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Greensboro, Greensboro College, Duke University, East Carolina University and N.C. Central University. The orchestra has produced three recordings and two specials for the Public Broadcasting Service that were broadcast statewide by UNC-TV.

Festival sponsors include the Carolina Inn, The Independent, The Herald-Sun, WNCU-FM, WUNC-FM, WSHA-FM, Jamey Aebersold Jazz, Double Time Records and Conn-Selmer Inc.

Campus sponsors include the College of Arts and Sciences, department of music, Office of the Associate Provost for Academic Initiatives, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonians, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development, Office of the Provost, Carolina Union Activities Board and James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence.

All events are open to the public by general admission. Ticket sales at the door of any ticketed event will begin an hour before the event.

For more information contact the Carolina Union Box Office at (919) 962-1149 or the music department at (919) 962-1039, or see www.unc.edu/depts/music/jazzfest.

A schedule and details follow:

· Feb. 23: Meet the Artists discussion and jam session with Marcus Roberts Trio, guitarist Dave Stryker, trumpeter Ray Vega, UNC jazz faculty and students. A panel discussion, "Thinking in Jazz," will be moderated by James Ketch. 7 p.m. lecture, 8 p.m. jam session. Carolina Union Cabaret. $5 general public, free for UNC students with ID.

· Feb. 24: Phi Mu Alpha High School Jazz Festival, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Frank Porter Graham Student Union Great Hall and Cabaret. Adjudicated performances, clinics, performances by UNC Jazz Combos and Jazz Band with guest artists. Free. Contact: James Ketch at jketch@email.unc.edu.

· Feb. 24: N.C. Jazz Repertory Orchestra Jazz Showcase Concert, with guests Marcus Roberts Trio, Dave Stryker and Ray Vega. 8 pm, Hill Hall Auditorium, $12 general public, $10 seniors, $5 all students.

· Feb. 24: Jazz After Hours, 11 p.m., Talulla Restaurant, 456 Franklin St., Chapel Hill, (919) 933-1177. Jam sessions are open to musicians and the public age 21 and over.

· Feb. 25: UNC Jazz Combos in Concert with guests Dave Stryker and Ray Vega, 4 p.m., East Chapel Hill High School, 500 Weaver Dairy Road. Free to the public. Contact: Steve Lytle, (919) 969-2482 ext. 391.

· Feb. 25: Marcus Roberts Trio in Concert, 7 p.m. curtain talk, 8 p.m. concert, Hill Hall auditorium. Featuring Marcus Roberts, Jason Marsalis and Roland Guerin. Presented by the Carolina Union Performing Arts Series. Curtain talk is free. Concert admission is $32 for the general public and $18 for students. Carolina Union Box Office, (919) 962-1449.

· Feb. 25: Jazz After Hours, 11 pm, Top of the Hill Restaurant, 100 E. Franklin St., Chapel Hill. (919) 929-8676. Jam sessions are open to musicians and the public age 21 and over.

· Feb. 26: N.C. High School Eastern Regional Jazz Band, James Ketch and Antonio Garcia, directors. 3 p.m. concert. East Chapel Hill High School, 500 Weaver Dairy Road. Free to the public. Contact: Steve Lytle, (919) 969-2482 ext. 391.

· Feb. 26: UNC Jazz Band, James Ketch, director. Featuring Marcus Roberts, piano; Dave Stryker, guitar; and Ray Vega, trumpet. 8 p.m. concert, Hill Hall. $5 general public, free for UNC students with ID.

· Feb. 26: Jazz After Hours, 11 p.m., West End Wine Bar Restaurant, 450 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill. (919) 967-7599. Jam sessions are open to musicians and the public age 21 and over.

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Department of music contact: James Ketch, (919) 962-0241, (919) 962-1039 or jketch@email.unc.edu

News Services contact: Deb Saine, (919) 962-8415 or deborah_saine@unc.edu