Nov. 17, 2004
Contact: Jo Ann Lloyd
(8050 756-1511
Cal Poly University Jazz Bands To Perform Fall Concert Dec. 3
SAN LUIS OBISPO - Cal Poly's University Jazz Band director Paul Rinzler will be featured as guest artist for the Jazz Band's Fall Concert at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3, in the Spanos Theatre.
While Rinzler is on sabbatical from teaching and leading the bands, Music Department faculty member David Rackley is serving as bandleader.
The concert will feature the piano talents of Rinzler performing Gordon Goodwin's eccentric and highly entertaining composition "Urbal Lung Comedy," said Rackley.
The concert will also include the singing talents of Cal Poly Vocal Jazz under the direction of music professor Thomas Davies.
This year the Jazz Band and Vocal Jazz will perform Latin, traditional and modern jazz compositions by such jazz greats as Horace Silver, Duke Ellington, John LaBarbera, John Fedchock and Sammy Nestico.
Rinzler joined the Cal Poly faculty in 1997 as director of jazz studies after having taught jazz classes at UC Santa Cruz for 12 years. He earned a doctorate in theory/ composition with a secondary emphasis in jazz pedagogy from the University of Northern Colorado.
He was the accompanist for a jazz choir recording that was nominated for a Grammy award. His jazz piano trio CD titled "Active Listening" was praised by Cadence magazine for its "impressive trio interplay," and "rich dialogues." Walrus Music publishes his big band compositions. His book, "Jazz Arranging and Performance Practice" was released in paperback, and his most recent book, "Quartal Jazz Piano Voicings," was recently published by the Hal Leonard Corp.
Rinzler's articles on jazz have been published in journals such as the "Annual Review of Jazz Studies and Jazz Research," as well as the "New Grove Dictionary of Jazz." He has been awarded several National Endowment of the Arts grants, including a Jazz Performance Grant.
Rackley, a professional trumpet player who directs the Cal Poly Marching Band, earned a Bachelor of Music degree and a Master of Arts degree in theory and composition from San Francisco State University, where he studied conducting with Lazlo Varga, and composition with Luigi Zaninnelli, Roger Nixon, Peter Sacco, Carl Sitton and Pulitzer-Prize-winning composer Wayne Peterson.
A published and award-winning composer, Rackley has scored video and film productions for the Library of Congress, the A&E Channel, CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC and the Discovery Channel. His production music credits are numerous and include "Days of Our Lives," "America's Most Wanted," "Cheers," "Nurses," "Picket Fences," "L.A. Law," "All My Children," "General Hospital," "Home Improvement," "Quantum Leap" and "Seinfeld."
He has won six Telly Awards, two Onmi Awards, a CINE Golden Eagle Award, the Gold Apple Award from the National Education Media Network, a Gold CINDY from the International Association of Audio-Visual Communicators, and a Bronze Award from the WorldFest-Charleston International Film and Video Competition.
His composition, "Overture Calafia," was written for and premiered by the Cal Poly Wind Orchestra during the inaugural dedication concert of the Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo in 1996. His most recent composition, "Third Stream Bridge," written for the Cal Poly Wind Orchestra, was premiered at the Sydney Opera House in 2000.
Tickets are $10 for the public, $8 for senior citizens and Jazz
Federation members, and $5 for students. Tickets can be bought at
the Performing Arts Ticket Office 10 a.m. to
5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Tickets
can be ordered by calling SLO-ARTS (756-2787).
The concert is sponsored by Cal Poly's Music Department, College of Liberal Arts and Instructionally Related Activities program. For more information, call the Music Department at 756-2406.
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