Woolsey Hall
ELLINGTON JAZZ SERIES
The correct start time for this concert is 2:00pm. (It was originally listed as 7:30pm.)
“Among the most important, prophetic, creative statements in the history of jazz.”
– Gunther Schuller
In celebration of Charles Mingus’ 100th birthday, the Ellington Jazz Series presents the revered Mingus Big Band, with Grammy Award-winning saxophonist, YSM Lecturer in Jazz, and Director of the Yale Jazz Ensembles Wayne Escoffery and Yale students, in a performance, conducted by Escoffery and trombonist Ku-umba Frank Lacy, of Mingus’ idiosyncratic jazz-orchestra epic, Epitaph. This rarely performed, enigmatic work reflects the genius of its composer while defying all categorization and offers the world an experience of the man himself and of the ideas that filled him.
Tickets start at $23, students start at $10
(Seating is General Admission by section)
Concerts at YSM are open to asymptomatic individuals. ASTM or N95-equivalent masks are required for all audience members.
Donald Edwards has played across the globe with some of the finest musicians in jazz and other genres. He has now built a reputation all his own. He is a 2018 recipient of the Chamber Music America's New Jazz Works Grant, A Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Jazz Project. After winning the Louisiana Arts Ambassador’s Award in 1994 for Music Composition, Donald Edwards became one of the most sought after drummers on the Baton Rouge/ New Orleans music scene. He grew up playing different kinds of music ranging from marching band, hip-hop and pop to r&b, jazz, funk and gospel music. As a result, Edwards is now called on to play many different genres of music and meets them with creative interpretation and virtuosity. Donald Edwards is among the vanguard of players on the New York scene today. Edwards has 4 recordings as a leader and is also involved in the production of numerous recording projects.
WOODWINDS:
Brandon Wright, Mark Gross, Wayne Escoffery, Craig Handy, Sam Dillon, Wes Lewis (student), Alec Chai (student), Lauren Sevian, Michael Rabinowitz, Allie Gruber (student), Margalit Patry-Martin (student)
TRUMPETS:
Alex Norris, Walter White, Philip Harper, Grace Burton (student), Shania Cordoba (student), Truth Templeton (student)
TROMBONES:
Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Conrad Herwig, Robin Eubanks, Earl McIntyre, Addison Maye-Saxon (student), Max Saffer-Meg (student), Declan Wilcox (student), Bridget Conley, Tuba (student)
PIANO:
David Kikoski, Miles Zaud (student)
BASS:
Boris Kozlov, Thara Joseph (student)
DRUMS
Donald Edwards
VIBRAPHONE:
Chien Chien Lu
GUITAR:
David Gilmore
PERCUSSION:
Makana Medeiros (student)
Mingyu Son (Student)
Conducted by Wayne Escoffery and Ku-umba Frank Lacy who will also perform on Tenor Sax and Trombone, respectively