Marvin Stamm Joins VSU Jazz Ensemble for April 16 Performance

VALDOSTA — World-renowned jazz and studio trumpeter Marvin Stamm will perform with the Valdosta State University Jazz Ensemble at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, in Whitehead Auditorium. The concert is free and open to the public. 

“Marvin Stamm is a virtuoso jazz trumpeter who got his start with the big bands of Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Thad Jones/Mel Lewis,” said David Springfield, director of VSU’s Jazz Studies Program. “For more than 30 years, he was a first-call studio musician in New York, performing on recordings by Paul McCartney, Frank Sinatra, Quincy Jones, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, and many others. He now spends much of his time touring with his own quartet and as a soloist with many university and high school jazz ensembles.”

In addition to performing in concert, Stamm will coach VSU’s student jazz combos, teach a trumpet master class, and conduct a question-and-answer session for those who wish to know more about this career in music during his visit to the campus.

VSU’s Jazz Ensemble “is the premier performing ensemble in the jazz area … with a repertoire ranging from Big Band Era standards to contemporary styles and original jazz compositions,” according to the Jazz Studies Program. This 18-member group has toured Europe and performed with such guest artists as Dizzy Gillespie, Byron Stripling, and Ernie Watts.

The program for Tuesday’s concert features music by such jazz greats as Herbie Hancock and Duke Ellington, as well as an up-and-comer and VSU student, Brian Dodd.

“This is the final Jazz Ensemble concert for this school year, and the performance with Marvin Stamm will be a wonderful way to finish,” said Springfield, ensemble director. “As always, we’ve been very active, performing six concerts since September. The students have worked very hard, and I am proud of the musical goals they have achieved.”

Whitehead Auditorium is located on the first floor of VSU’s Fine Arts Building, on the corner of Oak Street and Brookwood Drive. The concert is part of the Department of Music’s celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month.

Designed by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History and supported by the United States Congress, Jazz Appreciation Month, recognized each April, “is intended to draw public attention to the glories of jazz as both a historical and living treasure.” This year’s theme is “The Spirit and Rhythms of Jazz.”

Contact David Springfield at (229) 333-5805 or daspring@valdosta.edu to learn more.

On the Web:

www.smithsonianjazz.org

www.valdosta.edu/music

VSU Jazz Ensemble

• Saxophones: Fernando Chavez (lead, alto), Landan Frazier (alto), Nick Johnson (tenor), Brennan Short (tenor), and John Pope (baritone)

• Trumpets: Brian Summerlin (lead), Sage Khan, Brittany Loftin, and Eduardo Farias

• Trombones: Brian Dodd (lead), Jacob Johnson, Joshua Watford, and Zach Jones (bass)

• Rhythm: John Neely (guitar), Jessica Holmes (piano), Trent Harper (bass), Anthony Bussey (drums), and Travis King (drums)