For press information, contact Carol Morse, 901-678-2279

Antonio Hart

Four other ensembles from the School, including the U of M Jazz Singers with guests Bruce Dudley, piano, and Sandra Dudley, vocals, will also perform during the week.

Events and Dates for Jazz Week 2010 Include:

March 2, 2010
U of M Student Jazz Combos
7:30 p.m. Memphis Drum Shop
A night of performances by student jazz groups from the University of Memphis School of Music Admission is free. For more information, call (901) 678-5400 or (901) 678-1651.

March 3, 2010
Birth of the Cool
7:30 p.m. Harris Concert Hall
The music of the Miles Davis Nonet, and new works specially arranged for this faculty jazz group. Admission is free. For more information, call (901) 678-5400 or (901) 678-1651.

March 4, 2010
U of M Jazz Singers with Sandra and Bruce Dudley
7:30 p.m. Harris Concert Hall
The singers will join guest artists Sandra Dudley, vocals, and Bruce Dudley, piano. The concert will feature music reminiscent of the Manhattan Transfer and Take Six. Also on the program will be arrangements by student composers. Admission is free. For more information, call (901) 678-5400 or (901) 678-1651.

March 5, 2010
Jazz Ensemble II and Jazz Guitar Ensemble
7:30 p.m. Harris Concert Hall
The Jazz Ensemble II and the Jazz Guitar Ensemble will perform music of the big bands ranging from Duke Ellington to modern groups such as Maynard Ferguson and others. Admission is free. For more information, call (901) 678-5400 or (901) 678-1651.

March 6, 2010
Jazz Ensemble II
12:00 p.m. Harris Concert Hall
Admission is free. For more information, call (901) 678-5400 or (901) 678-1651.

March 6, 2010
Southern Comfort Jazz Orchestra with Antonio Hart
7:30 p.m. Harris Concert Hall
Saxophonist Antonio Hart gained recognition for his work with Roy Hargrove and later formed his own group. Hart has recorded for Novus with Hargrove, and on a number of his own CDs. General admission is $8. For more information, call (901) 678-5400 or (901) 678-1651.

The Memphis Drum Shop is located at 878 S. Cooper, and Harris Concert Hall is on the University of Memphis campus at 3775 Central Ave.

All events are free except the Southern Comfort concert. Admission for that event is $8 general admission; $5 non-U of M students and seniors; free to U of M students, faculty and staff with ID.

More information is available by phone at 901-678-1651 or online at: http://www.memphis.edu/music/calendar.php

Guest artist biographies:

Antonio Hart’s distinctive sound combines elements spanning the history of jazz. He studied jazz and education at the Berkelee College of Music and after graduation joined classmate Roy Hargrove to tour and record for three years. During that time, he earned a master’s degree in music composition and performance from Queens College, studying with Jimmy Heath and Donald Byrd.

In 1991 he made his recording debut on RCA/Novus with For the First Time. Hart has made three other albums for RCA/Novus: Don’t You Know I Care (a tribute to Dizzy Gillespie, 1992); For Cannonball and Woody (1993); and It’s All Good (1994). He switched labels to Impulse for 1997’s Here I Stand.

He has appeared on recordings with Nat Adderly, Slide Hampton, the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All Stars, Dave Holland, Kathleen Battle, and others, making more than 80 recordings as a guest artist.

Sandra Dudley’s recorded jazz albums include Last Night When We Were Young: The Ballad Album, Jazziz Magazine’s Vocals On Fire compilation, and her latest solo project, Close to You. She has been a session and jingle singer and has performed for 25 years at concert halls, jazz festivals, and clubs throughout the United States and Canada.

Sandra has been a featured singer with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, the Tennessee Jazz Orchestra, the Jazz Orchestra of the Delta, and the Nashville and Memphis Symphony Orchestras. Her CD with the Jazz Orchestra of the Delta, Big Band Reflections of Cole Porter, received critical acclaim in the United States and Great Britain.

Jazz pianist Bruce Dudley is well known for his writing and arranging. He toured with Crystal Gayle for two years and was music director and pianist for the Nelson Riddle Orchestra for 11 years. Other performance credits include Little Anthony and the Imperials, the Moody Blues, and three Broadway tours (Guys and Dolls, Grease, and Fiddler on the Roof).

Dudley has composed music for Disney, Carnival Cruise Lines, and the soap opera, Guiding Light. He is currently a BMI writer and publisher and a member of the Nashville Association of Musicians.

The Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at the University of Memphis offers bachelor’s through doctoral degrees in 29 areas of concentration. The School has the distinction of being Tennessee’s only doctoral degree-granting program in music.

The School is dedicated to preparing students for careers in music by instilling in them the importance of thorough and thoughtful preparation in all musical endeavors and by engaging them in a comprehensive learning experience. Study is punctuated with a wide variety of performance opportunities in the School, in the community, and internationally. This total immersion approach is realized by faculty members who have active careers in performance, recording, and publishing – experience that fosters truth and integrity in music.