The Birth of the Cool Hits the CSU Stage
The CSU Jazz Ensembles kick off the fall jazz season at the University Center for the Arts on Wednesday, October 1 at 7:30 p.m. with a concert entitled ‘The Music of Miles Davis’ in the Griffin Concert Hall at the University Center for the Arts, located at 1400 Remington St.
Directed by Wil Swindler, the CSU Jazz Ensembles I and II present an evening of music by Miles Davis, touching the diverse artistic developments of his career. Students will perform some of the music in its original form as well as a few modern takes on classics that celebrate Miles’ genius and his omnipresence in our music today.
“It may not be possible to overstate the importance and influence of Miles Davis in the jazz tradition,” said Peter Sommer, director of jazz studies at CSU. “He also contributed much to the jazz culture as well – his distinct personality is still felt in our day-to-day dealings along with his music.”
The career of Miles Davis spanned six decades and touched on virtually every subgenre of jazz. To outline his artistic development is essentially to trace the development of jazz itself: from his early bebop days with Charlie Parker in the 1940’s, through “cool jazz”, monumental large ensemble collaborations with Gil Evans, the landmark quintet recordings with John Coltrane, the “second great” quintet in the 1960’s, and his energetic and exploratory fusion efforts late in his career.
About Wil Swindler
Composer and Saxophonist, Wil Swindler currently resides near Denver, Colorado where he leads Wil Swindler’s Elevenet, the modern bop quintet GoodRattle, and serves as musical director for vocalist Barron Steffen. He is a performer and contributing composer with Raincheck, the Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra, the 9th+Lincoln Orchestra, the Colorado Jazz Orchestra, Manny Lopez’s Latin Jazz Project, and the Legacy Jazz Orchestra. He also performs with the Colorado Symphony, the Fort Collins Symphony, and the Boulder Philharmonic, as well as playing productions at both the Buell Theatre and the Arvada Center for the Arts. In addition to receiving IAJE’s Gil Evans Fellowship for 2008, Wil has completed numerous commissions from military bands, local orchestras, and big bands around the world.
The University Center for the Arts at Colorado State University provides an enriched venue in which the study and practice of Art, Dance, Music, and Theatre are nurtured and sustained by building the skills and knowledge needed by future generations of arts professionals to become contributors to the essential vitality of our culture and society.