Mingus Big Band at Yale
- Yale University Woolsey Hall 500 College Street New Haven, CT, 06511 United States (map)
Willie Ruff Memorial Concert
Saturday, March 29, 2025 2:00PM
Woolsey Hall
ELLINGTON JAZZ SERIES
The Dizzy Gillespie All Stars and the Mingus Big Band, which includes Yale Jazz Ensembles Director, YSM Lecturer in Jazz, and Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, perform in celebration of the life, work, and legacy of YSM Professor Emeritus of Music Willie Ruff.
2-3:15PM Dizzy Gillespie All Stars
3:30PM Panel Discussion
4:30PM Mingus Big Band
Boris Kozlov, bassist, is a two-time Grammy Award-winning musician, composer and arranger.
Currently serving as a bassist, arranger and musical director for Mingus Big Band, Mingus Dynasty and Mingus Orchestra, as well as leading his own projects, he has also been a first-call bassist for such important jazz acts as Michael Brecker, John Blake, Ray Barretto's 'New World Spirit', Lew Tabackin, David Kikoski, Alex Sipiagin, Jean-Michel Pilc and many others.
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.
With special guest Jimmy Owens who recorded with Charles Mingus at 1965 Monterey Jazz Festival and UCLA (Music Written for Monterey, Not played…) and later toured with Mingus Dynasty and was recorded on their Chair in the Sky recording.