The CSU Jazz Ensembles I and II perform with jazz-great Paul Hanson at the University Center for the Arts on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the Griffin Concert Hall at the University Center for the Arts, located at 1400 Remington St.
Tickets are $7 for CSU students, $1 for youth (under 18), and $12 for the public. Please note that the University Center for the Arts (UCA) ticket office hours have changed. Tickets are available at the ticket office in the UCA lobby 90 minutes prior to any UCA performance and through intermission. Information about upcoming performances can be found at (970) 491-ARTS (2787). Advance or online purchase is recommended to avoid at-the-door fees.
Directed by Wil Swindler, the CSU Jazz Ensembles I and II present an evening with jazz great Paul Hanson, a one-of-a-kinds bassoonist and world traveler who exemplifies creativity and daring.
Over and last 20 years, Paul has rewritten the rulebook and set new standards for what is possible on this most classical of woodwind instruments. Jazz I features Hanson on arrangements of his own compositions, as well as selections from modern big band literature.
"..Over the past decade, Hanson has brought the double reed instrument into areas where it's seldom, if ever, gone before, combining a commanding improvisational sensibility with funk, classical and world music influences. Playing without electronic devices, Hanson produces a sound so full, lithe and flexible that it's easy to forget the mind-boggling intricacies of the instrument that's producing it. When he alters his sound electronically, the bassoon can take on eerie, jaggedly distorted or ethereal timbres. It's hard to overstate just how unlikely a quest Hanson has undertaken in transforming the bassoon from a symphony orchestra instrument into a viable workhorse for extended solos." -Andrew Gilbert, DOWNBEAT Magazine
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.
About Paul Hason
Paul Hanson’s musical journey is a testament of fearless dedication to craft and creativity. Over the last 20 years, Paul has rewritten the rulebook and set new standards for what is possible on this most classical of woodwind instruments. As one reviewer puts it, “But he simply transcends technique to a point where the listener no longer has in mind that it’s a BASSOON that he’s playing.” His explorations have transcended limitations and created new possibilities-all while making music of the highest quality. Paul’s repertoire encompasses musical aspects of all modern styles of improvised music. From his roots as an award-winning classical bassoonist and jazz saxophonist- Paul has sought to expand the lexicon of the bassoon while creating a unique musical voice.
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.
For more information, visit UCA.Colostate.edu.