Department of Music

• Saturday, May 1, 2010
• Old Cabell Hall
• 8:00pm

• $10 General / $5 Students / Free for UVA Students who reserve in advance

On Saturday, May 1st at 8:00 PM in Old Cabell Auditorium The UVA Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of trumpeter John D’earth, will present their May Day Guest Artist Concert, co-sponsored by The HOOK, featuring pianist/composer Kirk Nurock and vocal artist Miles Griffith.  D’earth, Nurock, Griffith, and the Jazz Ensemble will perform original compositions, improvise collectively and explore the human voice as an instrument of beauty and mayhem as the whole band vocalizes and invites the audience to do the same.  The communal nature of this collaboration between these three musical friends is intended to attract vocal participants as the concert approaches.

Composer pianist Kirk Nurock is refreshingly hard to pin down.  He arranged for both Dizzy Gillespie and Leonard Bernstein, composed a work for 20 voices and 3 canines (which he conducted at Carnegie Hall) and won a scholarship at age 16, awarded by Duke Ellington.  A look at the headings on his website give a hint of the range of his interests and activities: Jazz Piano, Compositions and Arrangements, Natural Sound Workshop, Scatting and Poetry, Animal Music, Theater and Dance.  Now a veteran of 30 years in the music world, Nurock will continue his highly unpredictable adventures with his long-time friend and colleague John D’earth and the UVA Jazz Ensemble, which D’earth conducts.  D’earth and Nurock played often together when they both lived in lofts in Manhattan during the 1970s and early 80s.  The reunited last summer at Wintergreen where they performed a sold-out duo concert and collaborated with several vocalists of which Miles Griffith was one.

“I was instantly taken by Miles’ sound and energy,” says D’earth, “and then by his superb musicianship.  He is a joyful master of music and the vocal arts.”

Noted jazz critic, Ira Gitler of Jazz Times states, "Griffith's balladry bows in the direction of the romantic baritones of the '40s and '50s," while Bob Young of the Boston Herald declares, "his oblique Betty Caterish approach shows off his dark phrasing and penchant for melody."

Miles Griffith's non-traditional use of the voice as a percussive instrument, combined with an uncanny harmonic sense has made him a prime choice for many musicians. He's been a member of T.S. Monk Septet, James Williams' ICU and Jack Walrath's Masters of Suspense. Griffith is at the forefront of some of the music's most inventive working bands. "I enjoy working with these guys because they love the music. It is a continual learning process because they all have such different concepts, and in each group I can strive to contribute something new," reflects the vocalist. In the past, Griffith has collaborated with such revered ensembles as the Jon Hendricks' Explosion, Jimmy Heath's Big Band, Roy Hargrove Big Band, Stanley Cowell Quintet and the Bill Saxton Quartet.

The May 1st concert will feature original compositions and arrangements by all three artists, including a rendition of Freddie Hubbard’s Up Jumped Spring with lyrics by D’earth.  Nurock’s compositions reveal a deeply laid foundation in big band jazz writing, with a forward-leaning edge of collective improvisation, exploration, humor, and emotion.  His interest in working with vocalists and natural sound will lead the Jazz Ensemble onto new terrain with everyone singing, creating vocal effects, and imitating the animal kingdom and the natural world.

“I love working with Kirk because things are never the same twice,’ says D’earth.  He is one of the great jazz pianists but he stays totally in the moment.  Anything can happen.”

D’earth is hoping to recruit a body of singers for this concert who will perform with the band according to Kirk’s and Miles’ instructions.  “I expect this vocal body to magically convene in final form on the day of the concert,” D’earth reports.  “If you are interested in participating tune in magically and you will no doubt find your way in!”

The UVA Jazz Ensemble’s May Day Guest Artist Concert promises to be a magical evening of swinging jazz, vocal brilliance, and musical thrill-seeking.

Guest Artist Masterclass by Kirk Nurock and Miles Griffith

At 3:30 in the afternoon on the day of the concert (Saturday, May1), Kirk Nurock and Miles Griffith will be conducting a masterclass that is free and open to the public. Students, musicians, vocalists, and jazz enthusiasts are welcome to attend!