UM jazz festival hits campus April 29-30

In a treat for music lovers, the sixth annual Buddy DeFranco Jazz Festival will invade the UM campus Friday and Saturday, April 29-30.

Festival highlights include two evening concerts featuring DeFranco, described as the greatest "Bebop clarinetist" in jazz history, and his celebrity guests. The concerts will be held at 7:30 p.m. both nights in the University Theatre. Tickets can be purchased at GrizTix.com or by calling (888) 666-8263.

The festival has been held at UM since 1981 but changed its name when Buddy DeFranco joined the effort in 2000. DeFranco has won 20 Downbeat Magazine awards, nine Metronome Magazine awards and 16 Playboy Magazine awards as the No. 1 jazz clarinetist in the world.

His guest artists are Paquito D'Rivera, John Fedchock, Johnny Frigo and Rickey Woodard. D'Rivera is a clarinetist/saxophonist renowned internationally for his American jazz and native Cuban styles. Fedchock is a trombonist who now heads up the New York City Big Band. Frigo is a jazz violinist who performed with the Chico Marx Big Band in the 1930s and is still going strong with a solo career. Woodard is a young saxophonist who enjoys a thriving career in Los Angeles, performing with bands such as Frankie Capp's Juggernauts. Fedchock and Woodard will perform Friday, and D'Rivera and Frigo will appear Saturday.

Besides the evening concerts, school jazz bands from throughout the western United States will perform both days in the University Theatre from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival is not competitive, but each band will receive written comments from two clinicians and have an opportunity to work with them following the performances.

This year's clinicians are guitarist Nathan Cook and trumpet player Todd Kelly - both graduates of the UM Jazz Program who have gone on to enjoy successful careers.

For more information, call (406) 243-5071 or visit http://www.umt.edu/defrancojazz .