Health & Fitness
Yellowjackets and Jazz Ensemble Share the Stage at CBA Jazz Series
Grammy winners and students played for a sold-out crowd at Henderson Theater on June 27.
The CBA Jazz Series welcomed two-time Grammy Award winners, the Yellowjackets, to campus on June 27. A sold-out crowd at Henderson Theater enjoyed the third-annual event, which included performances by CBA students and alumni.
Featuring Russell Ferrante, Bob Mintzer, Felix Pastorius, and William Kennedy, the Yellowjackets performed highlights from the 21 albums released over their 35-year career, including new material from their most recent release, “A Rise in the Road,” which debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes jazz chart.
Sharing the stage were members of the CBA Jazz Ensemble, a group of young musicians dedicated to musical excellence, nationally recognized most recently at the annual Heritage Music Festival with a first place-gold award in March 2014. For the first time in the series, CBA Music Director Ruben Zapata formed a quartet from the ensemble to showcase the talents of graduating seniors Andrew Tort and Anton Chrysanthopoulos with Chris Miller ’15 and Andrew Chrepta ’15 taking on Dave Brubeck’s version of “Blue Rondo.” Also new this year, select alumni were invited to join their former bandmates on stage for the performance and were warmly greeted by the crowd.
Sponsored by Two River Community Bank, the CBA Jazz Series was founded in 2012 to promote and support the performing arts program by bringing the best of world-class, contemporary jazz artists and composers to the intimate Henderson Theatre stage in a unique and limited seating concert event. Previous guests have included The Terence Blanchard Group and David Benoit. All proceeds from the Jazz Series benefit CBA’s performing arts program.
“This event would not be possible without the continued financial support of our alumni, family and friends who sponsor the jazz series, especially Two River Community Bank our event sponsor,” said Joseph R. Tort, CBA board chairman and founder of the Jazz Series. “The night was a great experience for all involved, and we look forward to next year.”
