Dr. James F. Payne
UNK music professor, 308.865.8606 or paynej@unk.edu
The University of Nebraska at Kearney Jazz Rock Ensemble will give their annual spring concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 30, in the Fine Arts Recital Hall.
The UNK Jazz Rock Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. James Payne, will present a concert of music written for the big band with an emphasis on the music from 2002-2004. Students will perform jazz pieces styled in several types of swing, ballad, a jazz mambo, jazz funk and a hip/hop shuffle.
The program will feature music by composers including Les Hooper, Frank Mantooth, Andy Weiner, Billy Strayhorn, Gordon Goodwin, and Lars Halle. The charts come from the bands of Maynard Ferguson, Glenn Miller, the Eastman School of Music Jazz Ensemble, Wayne Bergeron Big Band, and the Fullerton College Jazz Band I. There will be solos on guitar, trumpet, trombone, bass, piano, drums, and soprano, alto, tenor and bari saxophones. The concert is free and open to the public.
“The UNK Jazz Rock Ensemble brings together UNK students from all over the region, as well as Japan, to play great jazz and rock music from the best professional big bands in the nation,” Dr. Payne said.
Dr. David Nabb, associate professor of music at UNK, will be a featured soloist with the band, playing Passion Flower by Billy Strayhorn. Strayhorn was Duke Ellington’s composer/arranger. Dr. Nabb suffered a massive stroke in 2004 which left him paralyzed on his left side.
“He continues to make excellent progress regaining the use of his left arm and leg,” Dr. Payne said.
Dr. Nabb and Jeff Stelling, a designer and builder of specialized instruments in Kearney, in cooperation with Yamaha International Corporation and the Nebraska Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, have developed the one-handed saxophone Dr. Nabb will play.
Members of the Jazz Rock Ensemble, listed alphabetically by hometown, include:
Albion- Adam Zrust
Bellevue – Adam Hotchkiss
Broken Bow-Nick Brennan
Grand Island – Justin Zeleski
Holdrege – Dirk Riley
Kearney- Aaron Graddy, Nikki Foster, Heather Hansen and Matthew Manning
North Platte- Antonio Diaz
Omaha- Sarah Reeks and Jon Flanagan
Ravenna- Brad Bohn and Brandon Bohn
Sidney/Gering- Jeremiah Warren
York- Scott Vincent
IOWA
Conrad- Brett Kluever and Bryce Urbanek
WYOMING
Rock Springs- Jessica Pavlik
JAPAN
Ko-nan- Kiyotaka Arai
Nakata- Akina Yura
