The Department of Music will present the 2020 Fall Jazz Festival via free livestream on Thursday, October 8 at 8 p.m. Jazz enthusiasts can join us by visiting go.vcu.edu/concerthall.
VCU Jazz Orchestras I and II and the VCU Faculty Jazz Sextet will present a four-set, hybrid extravaganza of live and prerecorded performances offered just once a year. The Festival features works by Taylor Barnett, Jerry Bock, Bob Brookmeyer, Duke Ellington, Gil Evans, Antonio Garcia, Bill Holman, Tony Martucci, Johnny Mercer, Oliver Nelson, Rex Richardson, Sonny Rollins, Ann Ronell, Victor Schertzinger, Wayne Shorter, Sadao Watanabe, and Victor Young. The concert will include world premieres of new works.
In addition to two student big bands, the Festival includes prerecorded performances by a number of our Jazz faculty, including J.C. Kuhl (sax), Rex Richardson (trumpet), Antonio Garcia (trombone), Mike Ess (guitar), Wells Hanley (piano), Eric Wheeler (bass), and Tony Martucci (drums). Guest artists include Wycliffe Gordon (trombone), Luke Carlos O’Reilly (piano), and former VCU students Daniel Clarke (piano) and Cameron Ralston (bass).