The Bob Mintzer Big Band and The Count Basie Orchestra are among the headliners at the 36th Annual Elmhurst College Jazz Festival, scheduled for Feb. 21-23 in the college’s Hammerschmidt Chapel.
The Bob Mintzer Big Band, which won a Grammy Award last year in the large jazz ensemble category for its compact disc “Homage to Count Basie,” will perform Feb. 21. Saxophonist Bob Mintzer also is up for a Grammy this year for his work with his other group, the Yellowjackets, whose CD “Mint Jam” was nominated in the contemporary jazz category.
The Count Basie Orchestra, directed by Grover Mitchell and featuring drummer Butch Miles, is scheduled for Feb. 22. A Feb. 23 performance will showcase festival judges and clinicians Bobby Shew, Gary Smulyan and Dennis Mackrel performing with the Elmhurst College Jazz Band.
All shows are at 7:30 p.m.
The festival also will feature afternoon and evening performances by a number of college jazz bands and combos, including groups from Northern Illinois University, Purdue University and Oberlin Conservatory.
Tickets are $20 for the Mintzer and Basie shows; $12 for the Elmhurst College Jazz Band concert with festival judges; and $7 for afternoon sessions featuring college bands and combos.
For more information, call the festival hot line at 630-617-5534 or visit www.ecjazzfest.org on the Web. The college is at 190 Prospect Ave. in Elmhurst.
This year’s jazz fest will serve as a kickoff for Elmhurst’s inaugural “We Art the World” community arts celebration. The arts fest is scheduled to run through March 9.
Severinsen on tap: Tickets go on sale Friday for veteran jazz and pops performer Doc Severinsen, recently added to the Elgin Symphony Orchestra’s 2003 concert lineup. The trumpet player will join the ESO at 8:30 p.m. March 7 in Hemmens Theatre in Elgin, performing jazz and big band favorites.
Tickets are $30 to $90. To order, call the ESO box office at 847-888-4000.
Severinsen, longtime musical director of “The Tonight Show” during Johnny Carson’s reign, is principal pops conductor of orchestras in Milwaukee, Phoenix and elsewhere
Book beat: West suburban authors Jim Durkin and Sheila Peters have formed a writers group to exchange ideas on promoting and marketing self-published books. The next meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Barnes & Noble, 47 E. Chicago Ave. in Naperville. For more information, call 630-579-0200.
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Arts and entertainment news and story suggestions may be e-mailed to [email protected] or faxed to 630-368-4266 Attn: Van Matre.