Cal Poly Fall Jazz Concert Set for Dec. 4

Improvisation and infectious rhythmic grooves will be on display when the Cal Poly big bands and jazz combo present their annual Fall Jazz Concert at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, in the Spanos Theatre on campus.

“Jazz combines the spontaneity of improvisation with pulsing rhythms of swing, funk, hip-hop and Latin rhythms,” said Paul Rinzler, director of jazz studies at Cal Poly. The two Cal Poly big bands will illustrate the “wall of sound” — the classic term for a big band playing at full strength. The jazz combo will feature contemporary jazz and a student composition.

Among the pieces to be performed are “Nightfall” by Adam Theis, leader of the Jazz Mafia musicians’ collective of San Francisco and a leader in incorporating rap and hip-hop into jazz bands; “Deedle’s Blues,” as performed by the vocalist Diane Schuur with the Count Basie big band; “Don’t Stop Now” by Wayne Horvitz, composer and keyboardist with John Zorn’s band Naked City; and “I’m Always Drunk in San Francisco,” written for jazz vocalist Sunny Wilkinson.

Tickets to the concert are $12 for the public and $9 for students and Jazz Federation members. Pricing includes all Performing Arts Center fees; event parking is sponsored by the PAC. Tickets are sold at the Cal Poly Ticket Office between noon and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. To order by phone, call SLO-4TIX (756-4849).

The Music Department offers a 10 percent discount to patrons who buy season tickets to four events through the Cal Poly Ticket Office; a 15 percent discount is given on tickets to five or more events.

The concert is sponsored by Cal Poly’s College of Liberal Arts, Music Department, and Instructionally Related Activities program. For more information, call the Music Department at 805-756-2406.