The 41st annual Western Jazz Invitational is an all-day event that will be held on Saturday, March 4 in the Dalton Center Recital Hall at Western Michigan University. Free daytime performances by 17 high school big bands and combos will be critiqued by WMU jazz faculty, including festival organizer Dr. Scott Cowan. At 7:30 pm, guest artist Jim McNeely will join the Western Jazz Collective and the University Jazz Orchestra for a concert featuring his original music.
McNeely, who was born in Illinois, has lived several lifetimes in music: as a featured pianist in the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra and later with the Phil Woods Quintet; as a prolific composer and arranger; and as a leader for several jazz orchestras based in Germany and the Netherlands. Cara Lieurance reached him at home in Maine, and with Scott Cowan, they talk about the festival, what advice is the right advice for performers, and they play recordings from McNeely's recent projects.
Tickets for the evening performance can be purchased online here.
