[193] MTSU Faculty, Guests Jazzing Up A Classic This Holiday Season

MTSU FACULTY, GUESTS JAZZING UP A CLASSIC THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
‘The Jazz Nutcracker’ Performance Set Dec. 2 in University’s Hinton Hall

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 9, 2010
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493

(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU jazz faculty and special Nashville guests will jazz up a classic this Christmas season as part of the 2010-11 MTSU Jazz Artist Series, performing “The Jazz Nutcracker” at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 2, in Hinton Hall in the university’s Wright Music Building.
Russian composer Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky originally created “The Nutcracker Suite” for ballet in 1891.
“Performed in the Christmas season, this ballet score has become one of Tchaikovsky’s most popular pieces,” said Jamey Simmons, associate professor of jazz studies and jazz trumpet at MTSU.
“Jazz masters Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn transformed this familiar piece into a nine-movement work for jazz orchestra, and it was recorded and released in 1960 by Columbia Records to critical acclaim.”
Simmons noted that as a creative team, Ellington and Strayhorn were among the most influential jazz composers and arrangers of all time, creating masterpieces like “Take the A Train,” “Lush Life” and “Chelsea Bridge.”
“Because these arrangements were written for the soloists in Duke’s band, it makes it fun to get inside their approach to performing,” Simmons said.
Performing “The Jazz Nutcracker” alongside Simmons on Dec. 2 will be jazz faculty members Don Aliquo on saxophone, Jim Ferguson on bass and Derrek Phillips on drum set. They’ll be joined by three other professional jazz musicians from Nashville: Matt Davich on alto saxophone and clarinet, Roy Agee on trombone and Jim Williamson on trumpet.
During the performance, guest commentator Austin Bealmear, host of the syndicated radio show “Jazz on the Side,” will provide insights into the history behind this jazz version of “The Nutcracker Suite.”
“It will be fun for the audience to hear how familiar melodies such as ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’ and ‘Waltz of the Flowers’ were transformed to fit into the unique Ellington sound,” Simmons said.
Tickets for the Dec. 2 show are $15 for the general public. Admission is free for MTSU faculty, staff and students with proper ID.
For more information on this and other concerts at the MTSU School of Music, please call 615-898-2493 or visit the “Concert Calendar” link at www.mtsumusic.com.


Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. This fall, MTSU unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

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IN BRIEF: MTSU jazz faculty and special Nashville guests will jazz up a classic this Christmas season as part of the 2010-11 MTSU Jazz Artist Series, performing “The Jazz Nutcracker” at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 2, in Hinton Hall in the university’s Wright Music Building. “Jazz masters Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn transformed this familiar piece into a nine-movement work for jazz orchestra,” said Jamey Simmons, associate professor of jazz studies and jazz trumpet at MTSU. “It will be fun for the audience to hear how familiar melodies such as ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’ and ‘Waltz of the Flowers’ were transformed to fit into the unique Ellington sound.” Tickets for the Dec. 2 show are $15 for the general public. Admission is free for MTSU faculty, staff and students with proper ID. For more information on this and other concerts at the MTSU School of Music, please call 615-898-2493 or visit the “Concert Calendar” link at www.mtsumusic.com.

For MTSU news and information, visit www.mtsunews.com.

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