Even before it is formally inaugurated, the Jazz Society of Ghana is hosting the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Jazz Ensemble this week for a 10-day performance tour.
Their first public performance will be on Sunday May 22 at Dubois Centre at 5 p.m. The free concert will be supported by traditional African instrumental Ensemble Hewale Sounds.
Then on Saturday May 28, there will be another performance at The Jazz Optimist on Ring Road opposite GBC at 8 p.m. Also playing will be Master Percussionist Okyerema Asante and Mac Tontoh. Tickets go for 100,000 cedis.
The Jazz Society of Ghana, which will be formally launched during the Jazz Optimist concert, was formed in 2004 by a group of Jazz enthusiasts dedicated to promoting and fostering the appreciation of jazz music in Ghana.Membership of the Society is open to all who have a passion for jazz and would like to promote this great musical tradition.
Through its activities, the Society hopes to actively encourage young musicians to develop their talent for jazz music. The Society intends to host visiting jazz groups and develop affiliations with other jazz associations worldwide. The visit by the UMES Jazz Ensemble is the first major event sponsored by the Society.
In its present configuration, the UMES Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Dr. John R. Lamkin II, has been in existence since the spring of 1984.
During the late 1980s, this award winning ensemble distinguished itself by winning several awards in the MusicFest National Jazz Ensemble Competition then co-sponsored by DownBeat Magazine.
In the 1990s the ensemble was invited to play on the steps of the Capitol Building in Washington DC. It also was invited to perform for the Congressional Black Caucus, was a regular weekly entertainment feature for the Elderhostel Program in Ocean City, and toured New Orleans and New York City.
Last year, the UMES Jazz Ensemble, along with the UMES Concert Choir and UMES Wind Ensemble recorded its first ever CD titled, “Celebrating Music at UMES.”
The band has had many distinguished legendary jazz musicians play with it over the years. Some of those musicians include: New Orleans trumpeter Nicholas Payton; Saturday Night Live trombonist Steve Turre; jazz trumpet stylist Jimmy Owens; the legendary Bassist Extraordinaire Larry Ridley; the legendary tenor saxophonist, Benny Golson; and the late soulful tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, to whom the University awarded an Honorary Doctorate.
The UMES Jazz Ensemble that is on the Ghana tour comprise of 16 musicians. They include 4 saxophones, 3 trombones, 3 trumpets, one flute player one piano player, 2 bass players, and 2 percussionists.
The majority of the students in the band are music education majors. Many of the former members of the UMES Jazz Ensemble have gone on to become highly successful music educators and sought after professional musicians, and have benefited from all the experiences being a member of the UMES band programme has afforded them.
Even before it is formally inaugurated, the Jazz Society of Ghana is hosting the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Jazz Ensemble this week for a 10-day performance tour.
Their first public performance will be on Sunday May 22 at Dubois Centre at 5 p.m. The free concert will be supported by traditional African instrumental Ensemble Hewale Sounds.
Then on Saturday May 28, there will be another performance at The Jazz Optimist on Ring Road opposite GBC at 8 p.m. Also playing will be Master Percussionist Okyerema Asante and Mac Tontoh. Tickets go for 100,000 cedis.
The Jazz Society of Ghana, which will be formally launched during the Jazz Optimist concert, was formed in 2004 by a group of Jazz enthusiasts dedicated to promoting and fostering the appreciation of jazz music in Ghana.Membership of the Society is open to all who have a passion for jazz and would like to promote this great musical tradition.
Through its activities, the Society hopes to actively encourage young musicians to develop their talent for jazz music. The Society intends to host visiting jazz groups and develop affiliations with other jazz associations worldwide. The visit by the UMES Jazz Ensemble is the first major event sponsored by the Society.
In its present configuration, the UMES Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Dr. John R. Lamkin II, has been in existence since the spring of 1984.
During the late 1980s, this award winning ensemble distinguished itself by winning several awards in the MusicFest National Jazz Ensemble Competition then co-sponsored by DownBeat Magazine.
In the 1990s the ensemble was invited to play on the steps of the Capitol Building in Washington DC. It also was invited to perform for the Congressional Black Caucus, was a regular weekly entertainment feature for the Elderhostel Program in Ocean City, and toured New Orleans and New York City.
Last year, the UMES Jazz Ensemble, along with the UMES Concert Choir and UMES Wind Ensemble recorded its first ever CD titled, “Celebrating Music at UMES.”
The band has had many distinguished legendary jazz musicians play with it over the years. Some of those musicians include: New Orleans trumpeter Nicholas Payton; Saturday Night Live trombonist Steve Turre; jazz trumpet stylist Jimmy Owens; the legendary Bassist Extraordinaire Larry Ridley; the legendary tenor saxophonist, Benny Golson; and the late soulful tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, to whom the University awarded an Honorary Doctorate.
The UMES Jazz Ensemble that is on the Ghana tour comprise of 16 musicians. They include 4 saxophones, 3 trombones, 3 trumpets, one flute player one piano player, 2 bass players, and 2 percussionists.
The majority of the students in the band are music education majors. Many of the former members of the UMES Jazz Ensemble have gone on to become highly successful music educators and sought after professional musicians, and have benefited from all the experiences being a member of the UMES band programme has afforded them.
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