ASU Jazz Week 2006 welcomes remarkable tenor saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi

TEMPE, Ariz. - The ASU Herberger College School of Music is excited to welcome Jerry Bergonzi, distinguished tenor saxophonist, to Jazz Week 2006, as part of an annual week of free jazz concerts March 27-30.

"Jerry Bergonzi is a giant; arguably the greatest jazz saxophone virtuoso alive," said Mike Kocour, director of Jazz Studies at ASU. "Saxophonists from around the state and further yet will come in droves to hear and learn from this master."

Bergonzi is an internationally recognized jazz performer, composer, author and educator whose music is renowned for its innovation, mastery and integrity. He has released numerous CDs with Red Records and Double-Time Records.

He will perform two concerts with ASU jazz ensembles March 29 and 30, in the Evelyn Smith Music Theatre. Other featured guests at this year's Jazz Week include Fred Forney, director of Jazz Studies at Mesa Community College; Joe Garcia, a percussionist, performer and educator who blends traditional Latin rhythms and contemporary sounds; and ASU faculty and resident jazz composer Mike Crotty.

Jazz Week has been held every spring at ASU for more than 20 years. The annual multi-day event is presented by the Jazz Studies Program and includes guest jazz artists, concerts and master classes that focus on America's true art form.

The following jazz week concerts will be presented at 7:30 p.m., March 27-30, in the Evelyn Smith Music Theatre of the ASU School of Music. For more information, go to: http://music.asu.edu/jazz or call 480-965-TUNE.

March 27, ASU Latin Jazz Band
The ASU Latin Jazz Band will perform with Fred Forney on trumpet and Joe Garcia on percussion. Forney is currently the director of Jazz Studies at Mesa Community College and enjoys a career as a freelance trumpeter in the Phoenix metropolitan area. He appears on the recently released CDSeeds with pianist and ASU Professor Emeritus Chuck Marohnic.   Garcia has collaborated on numerous recordings, including What is this Thing Called Jazz with Gaynel Hodge; Doctor Looney's Remedy with Parachute Express; and Legend of the Land with Meadowlark. He has opened shows for legendary performers such as Johnny Rivers, Gladys Knight, the Everly Brothers, Sergio Mendes and Brazil 2000, and The Fifth Dimension.

March 28, ASU Jazz Repertory Band/ASU Jazz Faculty Septet
The first half of this concert is a jazz faculty showcase in a small group setting. The Jazz Repertory will play selections from the most influential jazz arrangers of all time. ASU jazz faculty members Bryon Ruth, Chris Champion and Dom Moio will be featured with the band.

March 29, Jerry Bergonzi and the ASU New Music Jazz Ensemble
The ASU New Music Jazz Ensemble premieres new compositions written specifically for the group by ASU students, faculty and resident jazz composer Mike Crotty. Crotty is internationally renowned and serves as composer/arranger with the Airmen of Note, the premiere jazz ensemble of the U.S. Air Force. He has written for such diverse artists as Clark Terry, Claudio Roditi, Stanley Turrentine, Billy Taylor and Ernie Watts.

March 30, Jerry Bergonzi and the ASU Concert Jazz Band
The ASU Concert Jazz Band directed by Mike Crotty is the centerpiece of ASU's Jazz Studies Program. With the addition of Jerry Bergonzi, this promises to be an excellent ending to ASU Jazz Week se.tanguay@asu.edu

The School of Music in the Herberger College of Fine Arts at Arizona State University is ranked 19th in the country and eighth among public institutions by U.S.News & World Report. More than 100 music faculty artists and scholars work with approximately 800 music majors each year in research, performance and scholarly activities. It presents approximately 700 concerts and recitals each season. To learn more about the School of Music, visit http://music.asu.edu.

Media Contact:
Denise Tanguay 
480.965.7144
denise.tanguay@asu.edu