The Hillcats Faculty Jazz Ensemble will rock the Markel Auditorium with rock beats and electronic instruments as they perform a concert of jazz-fusion music this Friday, Oct. 28, at 8 p.m.
With a program full of jazz blended with classical, funk, and rock elements, Lecturer in Music and saxophonist Jonathon Gewirtz said this concert will cover material not usually associated with a traditional jazz concert. Instead, the night will mainly feature the music of jazz-fusion band Weather Report.
“Weather Report was one of the most successful, both artistically and commercially, of these ‘jazz-fusion’ groups to come out of the 1970s and 1980s,” Lecturer in Music Jonathon Gewirtz said.
Weather Report’s music departs from jazz’s typical free style, their completely composed pieces leaving no room for improvisation, Gewirtz said.
“Weather Report changed the face of music with their fusion of jazz, rock, funk, and classical influences,” Jazz Bass Instructor Hank Horton said. “They were arrogant, loud, and arguably some of the finest musicians on the planet at the time.”
Admission to Friday’s concert is free, and no ticketing is required.
“People will enjoy the collection of tunes, and the extremely talented group of musicians you will hear on Friday night,” Horton said. “We plan on having lots of fun.”
