50 Years of the Art of Jazz Concert Series Headlines Dave Pietro at CLC on October 4th

At the College of Lake County (CLC), the Art of Jazz concerts have been going strong for 50 years. Under the original direction of Mr. Bruce Mack, the CLC jazz band invited famous jazz artist-composers to take the stage for a program of their compositions. When Bruce retired, Dr. Michael Flack kept the tradition going. From trumpeter Clark Terry to bassist Rufus Reed, each guest artist has left an impression on the Lake County community as a result. 

During the 50th Anniversary of CLC's the Art of Jazz, all four jazz concerts showcase a guest artist. Saxophonist/composer Dave Pietro kicks off this anniversary concert on Sunday, October 4th. As a multiple GRAMMY award winner, Pietro has toured with such greats as Maynard Ferguson, David Bowie, Ray Charles, Woody Herman, Lionel Hampton, and Maria Schneider as well as played in many Broadway productions in New York. He has been the Director of Jazz Studies at NYU for the past 16 years.

Current members of the CLC Monday Night Jazz Ensemble backing up Dave Pietro include trumpeters Tom Farkenbrack, Mark Zar, Bryan Grabowski, Mitch Warren and Kelly Dittmann; trombonists Joe Kuzmanoff, Evan Lyons, Rick Simmons and Tracey Nielsen; saxophonists Sam Rivera, Kurt Anderson, Mike Agrippa, Alan Schramm and Joe Ott; drummers Dan Prowse and Dan Nelson, pianist Kai Funahashi and bassist Paul Nielsen. The amazing technicians for this concert are Dave Unger on Sound and Jeremy Eiden on Production.

Guest artists over the past half century have often given a free Masterclass. The next masterclass is by trumpeter Scott Wendholt at 11 am on November 7th in room P101 at CLC's main campus. Great quotes from some of the artistic composers at their masterclasses include:
"Leave the room warm" Rufus Reid, 2015
"When you know all the notes for all the chords, it's a multiple choice game—where to put what note between the lines" Ernie Watts, 2016
"Listen well—your ear matures every year" Michael Rodriguez, 2024
"Music has the power to transcend all boundaries" Dave Pietro, 2026.

Come out Sunday, October 4th at 4 pm to the James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts at the College of Lake County in Grayslake. Both the Tuesday Night Jazz Ensemble led by Mr. Joe Ott and the Monday Night Jazz Ensemble will be performing. For more information, call the box office at 847.543.2300 or email them at clcboxoffice@clcillinois.edu.