UNCG Jazz Ensemble I
Chad Eby, director
featuring
Rex Richardson, trumpet
Saturday, March 28, 2015
7:30 pm
Recital Hall, Music Building
UNCG Jazz Ensemble I
Chad Eby, director
Begin the Beguine Cole Porter
arr. Bill Holman
Mark Clodfelter – trumpet, Dan Hitchcock – tenor saxophone
from Such Sweet Thunder (1957) Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn
Up and Down, Up and Down* trans. David Berger
Jonathan Wiseman – trumpet
Lady Mac trans. David Berger
Thomas Linger – piano, John Jepsen – alto saxophone
Brandon Lee – flugelhorn
Madness in Great Ones trans. David Berger
Tim Morgan – trumpet
featuring Rex Richardson
Rex Appeal Brendan Collins
T Rex Dean Sorenson
The Tao of Heavy D Rex Richardson
arr. Adam Meckler
John Jepsen – alto saxophone
Easy Gentle Ballard Midyette
Will England – alto saxophone
Beyond All Limits Woody Shaw
arr. Taylor Barnett
Chris Bittner – tenor saxophone
Evan Ringel – trombone, Kassem Williams – drums
Performers
Hailed as “An artiste with an exceptional talent ...one of the finest trumpet players in
the world today,” (4barsrest.com) and “one of the world’s most engaging and
astonishingly versatile trumpeters,” (Style Weekly) Yamaha Performing Artist Rex
Richardson was named the 2008 Brass Herald Personality of the Year. A veteran of
the renowned chamber ensemble Rhythm & Brass, jazz legend Joe Henderson’s
Quintet, the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, the Brass Band of Battle Creek, he stays busy as a
headline artist at international festivals and as a soloist with orchestras, jazz
ensembles, brass bands and concert bands on five continents.
As a professional trumpeter, Rex has shared the stage with countless legendary artists
and ensembles, including Brian Blade, Benny Carter, Boston Brass, Ray Charles, Mike
Clarke, Kurt Elling, Carl Fontana, Aretha Franklin, Wycliffe Gordon, Stefon Harris,
Conrad Herwig, Dave Holland, Dave Liebman, Keith Lockhart, Jimmy Owens, Chris
Potter, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Allen Vizzutti, Bill Wautrous, and Steve Wilson.
Having developed a unique reputation in the trumpet world for his combination of
singular virtuosity, a highly personal style, and an emphasis on improvisation in
classical as well as jazz idioms, Rex has become renowned as a champion of new
music. He presented the premiere performances of concertos by Dana Wilson, Doug
Richards and Peter Meechan on four continents between 2006 and 2010. Since then he
presented the Australian, Brazilian, Swedish, English, Scottish, Thailand and U.S.
premieres of James Stephenson’s Trumpet Concerto no. 2, “Rextreme.”
His five solo recordings, including the 2010 release “Magnum Opus: 21st Century
Trumpet Concertos” are all released on Summit Records. Referring to “Magnum
Opus,” the International Trumpet Guild Journal printed “This album, without a
doubt, puts Rex Richardson among the very best trumpet soloists in the world
today.” (January 2011)
Rex has taught at Virginia Commonwealth University since 2002 and served as artist-in-
residence or visiting professor at Ithaca College and London’s Trinity College of
Music. He served as Artist-in-Residence for the Royal Northern College of Music in
Manchester, England in the spring of 2012.
In 2009 he was presented with the VCU School of the Arts highest honor, the Award
of Excellence, and he has been awarded the 2011 Theresa Pollack Prize for Excellence
in the Arts. The Pollack Prize selectors wrote: “Richardson stands at the vanguard of
jazz, classical and contemporary American music. He is an extraordinary musician.”
Jazz trumpeter Brandon Lee was born and raised in Houston, Texas. Growing up in a
musical family, Brandon began playing piano at an early age and by age 9 he started
his formal training on the trumpet. Brandon excelled on the trumpet throughout his
schooling and during his senior year at the Houston High School for the Performing
and Visual Arts, Brandon was selected by Wynton Marsalis to perform with the Jazz
at Lincoln Center Orchestra for a Louis Armstrong PBS special. In 2001, Brandon
would become one of 18 students selected to become a part of the inaugural class of
the Jazz Studies program at the Juilliard School. While at Juilliard, Brandon
performed with many of the jazz giants including Benny Golson, Kenny Barron, Ray
Brown, Clark Terry and Hank Jones, just to name a few. Brandon represented the jazz
program as he has traveled to Ireland, England, Italy, Japan, and Costa Rica, and El
Salvador. On many occasions, he taught master classes and performed in major
concert halls with the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra. In 2005 Brandon completed his
Bachelors of Music degree and in 2007 he completed his Masters of Music degree at
The Juilliard School.
In August of 2007 Brandon released his debut album, From Within, and in March of
2010, Brandon released his second CD entitled Absolute-Lee, which featured all
original compositions. Both recordings continue to be featured on local radio and
satellite radio stations throughout the US and abroad. Soon after the March 2010 CD
release, Brandon was asked to perform his first major concert under his own billing at
the Wortham Theater in Houston, TX. An overflowing crowd of more than 800 people
was in attendance. To add to his recording vitae, Brandon has also recorded with a
plethora of jazz artists including the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Eric Reed, Carl
Allen, Rodney Whitaker, Vincent Herring, Kirk Whalum, Jazz Conceptions Orchestra,
David Berger Big Band, and Fat Cat Big Band, and Shirley Crabb.
In the fall of 2008, Brandon became the youngest to join the faculty at The Juilliard
School. As jazz faculty, Brandon primarily worked as the assistant conductor and
conductor of jazz orchestra. Brandon conducted the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra and
showcased the orchestra in many venues including Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola and Alice
Tully Hall in New York City, Snow College in Utah, and University of Osaka in
Osaka, Japan. Brandon also worked in other roles throughout the school year
including improvisation instructor. In addition to his jazz faculty position, Brandon
served on staff at the Juilliard School as the Artistic Coordinator of Educational
Outreach from 2010-2012.
Brandon plays frequently with his own group and as a sideman in several other
groups. Some of the more recent groups include; Tommy Igoe and the Birdland Big
Band, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Kenny Barron Quintet, Kurt Elling, Christian
McBride Big Band, David Berger Big Band, Fat Cat Big Band, Alon Yavnai and Jazz At
Lincoln Center Orchestra.
Saxophonist and composer Chad Eby teaches applied jazz saxophone, Jazz Ensemble
I, and Jazz History in the Miles Davis Jazz Studies Program at UNCG. He has earned
widespread critical acclaim as "a consummate improviser" (Jazz Times), who "has
tremendous poise and natural melodic sense" Ottawa Sun), and whose "tone is
boundless, blues-inflected, and wholly satisfying" (AllAboutJazz.com). He is active as
a composer, and has received awards for jazz composition from the Ohio Arts
Council (2003) and the North Carolina Arts Council (2009).
A highly sought-after arranger, Chad's professionally commissioned works have been
performed or recorded by Bill Charlap with Kurt Elling, Wynton Marsalis with Willie
Nelson and Norah Jones, the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, the Dallas Jazz Orchestra, and
the L.A. All-Star Big Band. Eby is a clinician for Jazz at Lincoln Center's Essentially
Ellington program, and has been a featured guest artist/clinician at universities
across the country.
A Newhall, Iowa native, Chad Eby is a life-long student of music. He began playing
clarinet at the age of 11, and began studying the saxophone a year later. He went on to
study music at Luther College, completing his degree in Jazz Studies at the University
of North Texas. Chad earned his master's degree in Saxophone Performance from
Ohio State University. While in Ohio he released his first album, "Triptych", gaining
critical acclaim fromAllAboutJazz.com and fellow saxophonists Branford Marsalis
and Wessel Anderson. His second album, "Broken Shadows", was released in
February of 2010, featuring Steve Haines, Jason Marsalis, Doug Wamble, and
Branford Marsalis. "New Business" followed in 2012, featuring a suite of original
compositions based on the visual art of Trenton Doyle Hancock. His newest release,
"The Sweet Shel Suite: Music Inspired by Shel Silverstein", received a four star rating
from DownBeat magazine, and features his working quartet with trumpeter Brandon
Lee, bassist Steve Haines, and drummer Daniel Faust.
Chad Eby is a D'Addario Woodwinds Performing Artist.
Jazz Ensemble I
Chad Eby, director
Saxophones
Alto 1 Will England
Alto 2 John Jepsen
Tenor 1 Chris Bittner
Tenor 2 Dan Hitchcock
Baritone Melvin Holland
Trumpets
Tim Morgan
Andrew Sanchez
Jerry Davis
Jonathan Wiseman
Trombones
Evan Ringel
David Beitzel
David Vance
Will Reingold
Rhythm
piano Thomas Linger
guitar Aaron Matson
double bass Aaron Gross
drums Kassem Williams
*Violin
Taya Ricker
UPCOMING JAZZ EVENTS:
Jazz Ensemble II: The Music of Horace Silver
Brandon Lee, director
April 19, 2015 7:30pm, SOM Recital Hall
Small Jazz Groups
April 20, 2015 7:30pm, SOM Organ Recital Hall
Miles Davis Jazz Festival
An Evening with Molly Ringwald: A benefit for the Greensboro Urban Ministry
UNCG Jazz Ensemble I + strings
April 24, 2015 8pm, Aycock Auditorium
Check out our website - performingarts.uncg.edu/areas/jazz-studies - where
you’ll find videos, recordings, and more information about jazz at UNCG
Also, join our Facebook group – “Miles Davis Jazz Studies Program @ UNC-Greensboro”
for pictures and videos (past and present), and up-to-date
announcements for upcoming events.
We would like to thank our sponsors Mr. and Mrs. Smith,
Matt Russ and all our friends at Tate St. Coffee, Dennis and Betty Barry,
Tom Chitty and Associates, Inc., Jim Reidy, Bill Black, Jamey Aebersold,
DownBeat Magazine, and Jazz at Lincoln Center
