The University of Minnesota Morris jazz and commercial music program will welcome regional middle and high school students, alumni, and friends to campus for Jazz Fest 2024 on Friday, April 12.
Guest artists Remy Le Boeuf (saxophone), Dean Sorenson (trombone), James Suggs (trumpet), Alejandro Arenas (bass), and Mark Feinman (drums) will participate in clinics throughout the day, and headline the evening concert. UMN Morris Jazz Studies Director Adolfo Mendonça and Assistant Professor of Music Yulene Velasquez will join the guest artists for the evening concert.
The UMN Morris jazz ensembles will be celebrating 100 years of Henry Mancini by playing some of his iconic compositions featured in movies such as, The Pink Panther, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Blues Brothers, and more.
This year marks the 43rd Jazz Fest, a non-competitive festival open to middle- and high-school jazz big bands and combos, as well as UMN Morris students. It provides area students with memorable and interactive jazz experiences, through master classes, instrument clinics, and more.
Tickets are on sale now for the Friday evening performance: $12 for general admission and $10 for seniors/students. Also available is an Enhanced Ticket, which allows a single ticket holder to attend the afternoon master classes with guest clinicians and the evening concert. Tickets are available at z.umn.edu/JazzFest24. Please note the evening performance begins at 6:30 p.m. in Edson Auditorium of the Edward J and Helen Jane Morrison Performing Arts Center.
About the guest artists:
Remy Le Boeuf
Remy Le Boeuf is a four-time Grammy-nominated composer and saxophonist whose music is rooted in jazz and overlaps into contemporary classical and post-rock realms. Le Boeuf is also the founder of the jazz orchestra, Assembly of Shadows, and the Chief Conductor of the Nordkraft Big Band. He has worked with a range of collaborators, including the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Linda Oh, HAIM, JACK Quartet, Dayna Stephens, and his twin Pascal, with whom he co-leads the experimental quintet Le Boeuf Brothers. Le Boeuf is the director of jazz studies at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music.
Dean Sorenson
Dean Sorenson is associate professor and director of jazz studies at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities as well as a prolific and highly sought-after composer, arranger, trombonist, educator, and clinician. Sorenson’s latest recording project is Colors of Soul, a CD of original music for sextet. His most recent books include Total Jazz Theory and First Place for Jazz, both published by the Neil A. Kjos Music Company. He is frequently featured at festivals and conventions and maintains a full schedule of concert and recording dates as a Yamaha performing artist.
James Suggs
At the age of 16, Suggs was selected to tour with The Continental Singers. He toured Switzerland, Holland, Germany, and the U.S. As a junior in college at Youngstown State, he toured in China. He has also toured with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, and performed in several Latin American countries. The first album under his name, You're Gonna Hear from Me, was released in 2018 on Arbors Records. It was recorded at the legendary Van Gelder Studio in New Jersey and features jazz giants Lafayette Harris, Lewis Nash, and Peter Washington, with jazz legend Houston Person on saxophone and serving as album producer.
Alejandro Arenas
Alejandro Arenas is a versatile bassist, composer, producer, and educator. Hailing from Medellin, Colombia, he relocated to the United States in 2001 and quickly became in demand, performing in a wide variety of styles. Arenas co-leads the jazz trio La Lucha and world music ensemble Orilla. He has appeared in numerous recordings as both a musician and producer. He has performed with a variety of internationally acclaimed jazz musicians including Randy Brecker, Ken Peplowski, Antonio Adolfo, Dick Hyman, Diego Figueiredo, Melissa Aldana, and Houston Person. He holds a master's in jazz performance from the University of South Florida and is a professor at St. Petersburg College in the music industry and recording arts program.
Mark Feinman
Mark Feinman is a composer, musician, and producer from the Tampa Bay area. With more than 20 years of extensive performance and composition experience, his music has been featured on albums, film, TV, animated series, and commercials. Feinman has led master classes at universities and performed at festivals and venues around the United States and Europe. He is the adjunct drum set instructor at St. Petersburg College.