Fred Hersch and Kenny Garrett Headline 2005 Reno Jazz Festival, April 21 - 23

The best jazz musicians in the world travel to the University of Nevada, Reno each spring to perform and teach at the Reno Jazz Festival. This year, world-renowned and critically acclaimed alto/soprano saxophonist Kenny Garrett and pianist and composer Fred Hersch share their talent and expertise with the festival’s more than 10,000 attendees. In addition to guest artist concerts, the Reno Jazz Festival offers competitions, workshops and clinics by dozens of professional jazz musicians and adjudicators for more than 9,000 young jazz musicians from throughout the west. The three-day festival culminates in a festival showcase concert and awards ceremony to honor the best and brightest young standouts.

Fred Hersch and the university’s own faculty ensemble, The Collective, will perform Thursday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. in Nightingale Concert Hall. The Kenny Garrett Quartet performs Friday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the Lawlor Events Center Arena. The Festival Showcase Concert and Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday, April 23 at 6:30 p.m. in Lawlor Events Center Arena.

Fred Hersch and The Collective • April 21 at 7:30 • Nightingale Concert Hall • University of Nevada, Reno campus

Investing in time-tested classics with keen insight, fresh ideas and extraordinary technique, pianist and composer Fred Hersch is widely recognized for his ability to reinvent the standard jazz repertoire. The New York Times raved: “Hersch has honed a solo piano concept second to none in jazz."

Foreshadowing his musical future in jazz, Hersch had the propensity as a young piano student to improvise on the work of classical masters. Nominated for two Grammy Awards for best jazz instrumental performance, Hersch has recorded with a long list of jazz greats including Diana Krall, Joe Lovano and Jim Hall. Reveling in the demands of solo performance, Hersch creates spacious soundscapes that range from richly orchestral to breathtakingly simple.

In addition to his musical accomplishments, Hersch devotes time to AIDS and HIV education and assists in fundraising efforts through performances and recordings for charities such as Classical Action, Performing Arts Against AIDS and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

At the Reno Jazz Festival, Hersch will perform with one of the most creative and versatile jazz ensembles in the regions, the university’s faculty ensemble, The Collective – Dr. Larry Engstrom (trumpet), Peter Epstein (alto saxophone), Dr. David Ake (piano), Hans Halt (bass), and Dr. Andrew Heglund (drums). The Collective performs extensively across the western United States and draws from a rich musical background – members have performed with such jazz giants as Charlie Haden, Ravi Coltrane, Cedar Walton, Joe Pass, Walter Flanagan, J.C. Moses, Peter Erskine and many more.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see why The New Yorker called Hersch “a poet of a pianist" and The Atlantic Monthly dubbed him “one of the most sensitive and lyrical players in jazz."

Individual tickets for Fred Hersch with The Collective are: General $15/Senior and FTLOJ $12/Student $8. Tickets to Fred Hersch with The Collective (preferred seating) are also included in the Jazz Fan Ticket Package, which provides entry to all festival events: General $50/Seniors, For the Love of Jazz members (use code FTLOJ) $40.

For more information on Fred Hersch, visit: http://www.fredhersch.com
For more information on The Collective, visit: http://www.unr.edu/arts

Kenny Garrett Quartet • April 22 at 7:30 • Lawlor Events Center Arena • University of Nevada, Reno campus

Raised in a house of jazz, Kenny Garrett has become one of the most consistently inspiring and energizing forces in the modern genre. Under the guidance of his tenor saxophonist father, Garrett took up the instrument as a young boy and eventually moved on to play in such respected jazz institutions as the Duke Ellington Orchestra and the Mel Lewis Orchestra.

While surrounded by jazz at home, the Detroit native also had opportunities to explore soul, gospel and classical music first hand – providing a firm jazz foundation built from diverse musical sources. Among his many accomplishments, Garrett worked with jazz legend Miles Davis during a five-year, four-album period. He has also collaborated with Sting, Peter Gabriel and hip-hop star Guru of the duo Gangstarr, among many others.

Displacing long-time favorite Phil Woods, Garrett was named best alto saxophonist in a DownBeat readers’ poll, singled out by Rolling Stone as “hot jazz artist," and is a favorite in Jazz Times readers’ polls. Critics say no alto sax player since Julian “Cannonball" Adderly has wielded as much influence and inspiration on a generation of players. This multi-Grammy Award nominee brings a powerful yet lyrical eloquence to everything he lends his jazz artistry.

“A disciple of such luminaries as Art Blakey and Miles Davis, alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett’s soulful, dynamic approach to jazz has made him one of the foremost improvisers…" – Rolling Stone

“…in his rabbitlike speed and surging power, there’s remarkable rhythmic articulation and knowledge of harmony...he’s a music student’s idol, reliably professional." – The New York Times

Individual tickets for The Kenny Garrett Quartet are: General $24/Senior and FTLOJ $18/Student $12. Tickets to Garrett’s performance (preferred seating) are included in the Jazz Fan Ticket Package, which provides entry to all festival events: General $50/Seniors, For the Love of Jazz members (use code FTLOJ) $40.

For more information on Kenny Garrett, visit: http://www.kennygarrett.com.

Reno Jazz Festival Showcase Concert and Awards Ceremony • April 23 at 6:30 • Lawlor Events Center Arena • University of Nevada, Reno campus

The Reno Jazz Festival will culminate in a final showcase and awards ceremony on Saturday, April 23 at 6:30 p.m. in the Lawlor Events Center Arena. Featuring encore performances from some of the festival’s best groups and soloists, the Reno Jazz Festival Showcase and Awards Ceremony also recognizes and rewards individuals and groups who place in the top five of each competitive category (top eight for middle school bands).

Tickets for the Reno Jazz Festival Showcase and Awards Ceremony are: General $12/Senior and FTLOJ $10/Student $6. Jazz Fan Package for entry to all festival events: General $50/Seniors, For the Love of Jazz members (use code FTLOJ) $40.

To purchase individual tickets online from the University of Nevada, Reno arts365 virtual box office, visit: http://www.unr.edu/arts. To purchase tickets by phone, call 1-800-225-2277. (For the Love of Jazz members use code FTLOJ when ordering tickets.)

For information about volunteering for the Reno Jazz festival, call Elli Savage, volunteer coordinator: (775) 329-9678, or email: [email protected].

For more information about the Reno Jazz Festival or to purchase the Jazz Fan Ticket Package, call Extended Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno, (775) 784-4046 or 1-800-233-8928, email [email protected], or visit http://www.unr.edu/rjf.