Baylor Jazz Ensemble to Perform With Grammy Award-winning Artist

by Jaime Bates, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805

The Baylor University Jazz Ensemble will present its final concert for the semester with guest artist David Sanchez. The program will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 25, in the Jones Concert Hall, located in the Glennis McCrary Music Building on the Baylor campus.

The concert will open with Frank Foster's "Blues in Hoss Flat" and the John Fedchock arrangement of John Coltrane's "Central Park West."

David Sanchez will join the Jazz Ensemble for the remainder of the program, including performances of three of his own compositions, "The Forgotten Ones," "Aay, Ay, Ay, Ay (Ay Bandito)," and "Cultural Survival."

Sanchez and the Baylor musicians also will play the Mike Tomaro arrangement of Dizzy Gillespie's "'Woody' You," the Michael Philip Mossman setting of Mongo Santamaria's "Afro Blue," Maria Schneider's "Rich's Piece" and the Michael Philip Mossman arrangement of Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night in Tunisia."

Sanchez is a Grammy award-winning jazz tenor saxophonist from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. After performing as a freelance artist in New York with many top Latin players, Sanchez joined Dizzy Gillespie's United Nation Orchestra in 1990. Since 1993, Sanchez has released seven CDs. In 2005, he won the Grammy award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for his 2004 album Coral, which was two years in the making. He will soon embark on a European tour.

"This concert will provide the Waco community with the unique chance to see a world class artist perform with Baylor students," said Alex Parker, director of the Jazz Ensemble and lecturer in jazz studies.

The Baylor Jazz Ensemble performs a least twice a semester under the leadership of Parker. The group consists of twenty Baylor musicians from a variety of majors.

This concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Baylor University School of Music at (254) 710-3991.