Jazz Fest 2016 brings jazz masters to UofL

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – World renowned jazz artists Denis DiBlasio, Carl Allen and Ryan Cohan will headline the University of Louisville’s annual Jazz Festival.

Jazz Fest 2016 is Feb. 25-28 at the UofL School of Music. In addition to the headliner shows, the festival features workshops, master classes and more.

The first Jazz Fest concert is 8 p.m. Feb. 25 in Comstock Concert Hall. The performance will feature UofL Jazz Ensemble II and a UofL Student Combo. Admission is $5.

DiBlasio, a baritone saxophonist, flutist, educator, composer and arranger, will play at 8 p.m., Feb. 26. He serves as executive director of The Maynard Ferguson Institute of Jazz and is director of jazz and composition at Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J. He travels the world performing and running personalized clinics with people of all ages. He is known for his virtuosic playing and his engaging, entertaining personality. UofL Jazz Ensemble I will join DiBlasio during the performance.

Allen, a drummer, business manager and prolific recording artist, will play at 8 p.m., Feb. 27, with his band “The Art of Elvin Jones.” Allen, who has played with some of jazz’s greatest names, was the artistic director of Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School from 2008-2013. In 2011, he appeared, as himself, in two episodes of the HBO series Tremé.

Cohan, an elite composer and pianist in the world jazz scene, will play at 3 p.m., Feb. 28. Cohan has embarked on multiple U.S. Department of State-sponsored tours in partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center. Leading his quartet, Cohan traveled across Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, performing for and working with local musicians from a variety of musical and cultural backgrounds. Cohan has won the GuggenheimFellowship in composition and Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Music and Sound Design Fellowship, among other prestigious awards. General admission is $10.

Performances are $20 for general admission and student tickets are $5 with a valid student ID, unless otherwise noted. Tickets can be purchased in the School of Music lobby. For more information or a full schedule of events, call 502-852-6907 or visit louisville.edu/music.

UofL’s Jazz Fest, now in its 24^th year, celebrates America’s indigenous music and is part of the university’s diversity celebration and observance of African American History Month.