October 17, 2008
Contact: Sara R. Leonard
Concert and Production Manager
413/542-2195
AMHERST, Mass.—The Amherst College Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Bruce Diehl, will hold its annual Family Weekend concert on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 8:30 p.m. in Buckley Recital Hall in the Arms Music Center at Amherst College.
The evening’s concert will highlight fresh takes on the classics and some new tunes—all guaranteed to liven up the evening for students, families and community members alike. Guest saxophone soloist L. Franklin Newton will return to the Buckley stage to play with the student ensemble.
An international performer, Newton’s music has been featured at venues around the world, including the 2006 Adelaide International Police Tattoo and the 2006 Black Ship Festival in Shimoda, Japan. He has played with Disney’s All-Star Collegiate band—where he began writing and arranging music in addition to performing on the saxophone—Celebrity Cruise Lines and the U.S. Navy, where he served as a saxophone and clarinet instrumentalist, staff arranger, clinician, jazz soloist and band leader. In 2006, he came to the University of Massachusetts Amherst to pursue his love of writing, and he has since been awarded the 2007 Fletcher Henderson Jazz Excellence Scholarship and a student composer’s award for best jazz arrangement from Down Beat magazine. He received a master’s of music degree in jazz composition in May 2008 and continues to perform with the Amherst Jazz Orchestra, Jeff Holmes Big Band and Leah Randazzo Group. He also holds a B.A. in Jazz Studies from James Madison University
Tickets cost $8 for the general public and $4 for senior citizens and non-Amherst students with ID. The performance is free to Amherst College students. Seating is by general admission. For more information or to reserve tickets, call 413/542-2195 or e-mail concerts@amherst.edu
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