The “All Things Trombone” jazz concert featuring UCF professor Michael Wilkinson and fellow band members from the Jazz Professors begins at 8 p.m. The concert is free with a valid UCF ID or $10 at the door.

The UCF Rehearsal Hall is next to the Breezeway and The Burnett Honors College.

Wilkinson will be joined by Per Danielsson on piano, Richard Drexler on bass, Marty Morell on drums and Jeff Rupert on alto saxophone.

Joining them will be special guest Keith Oshiro on the trombone. Oshiro, who resides in Central Florida, has performed in numerous jazz festivals throughout the United States, Japan and Europe.

For more information about the UCF Jazz program, visit http://music.cah.ucf.edu/jazz.php. For more information about the Jazz Professors, go to .

The concert will be 2 p.m. in the Harris Engineering Center on UCF’s main campus.  The musicians, hand-picked by Simpson for the event, include Ira Sullivan, Larry Coryell, Rich Walker and others.

Orange County also has proclaimed April 20 as “Jack Simpson Day” in honor of his accomplishments on the air, as part of the jazz community, and for all of his charitable work.

Ticket information for the concert is available by calling 407-823-0899.

The radio station, at 89.9 FM, broadcasts from its studios in the Nicholson School of Communication on the UCF campus.

“This year’s Cab & Cab is going to be focused on three American cities with rich cultures in the 1920’s,” said Brianna Hartigan, a Rosen College senior graduating this May with a double major in Event Management and Hospitality Management. “We are taking guests to the heart of this era and are immersing them in that setting. It will be an interactive experience for our guests, as they will not only be observing the atmosphere, but actually feel as though they are at an exclusive 1920’s party in each of these cities.”

Under the guidance of Instructor Suzan Bunn, students will transform the Rosen College campus into an unforgettable evening of food, wine and live Broadway-inspired performances.

Bunn’s Event Management II class is responsible for organizing and producing the event, while the culinary efforts will be provided by Chef Renee Bence and Chef Jay Judy’s Food Preparation for Catered Events class. The event’s entertainment will also showcase musical and vocal talent from throughout the UCF community.

Tickets to Cab & Cab are now on sale for $65, which includes event admission, parking, food, wine and entertainment. Proceeds will support the Rosen College Event Department. A limited amount of tickets will be sold, so secure your tickets today at .

The UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management is located at 9907 Universal Blvd. in Orlando, FL.

For more event information, e-mail cabcab.ucf@gmail.com.

The fourth annual UCF-Orlando Jazz Festival, which took place on March 25 and 26 in the auditorium of the Nicholson School of Communication, offered the Orlando area two nights of jazz from aspiring students, seasoned professors and renowned professionals.

“I think events like this are good for the community,” said Jeff Rupert, professor and director of Jazz Studies at the UCF music department. “It’s really up to schools to bring artistic events like this to the people.”

The first night of the festival featured Grammy-nominated trumpeter Terrell Stafford, who was joined by the UCF jazz professors, a jazz outfit made up of Rupert on tenor saxophone, assistant professor Per Danielsson on piano, adjunct professor Richard Drexler on upright bass, and adjunct professor Marty Morell on drums.

The group played through a wide range of compositions, from slow, mellow tunes that rocked you back and forth to sporadic, upbeat jams that made you tap your foot and nod you head.

Opening up the show that night was the young and talented UCF All Star High School Jazztet, who paid tribute to legendary artists such as Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane.

“It’s great to see teamwork and people coming together to make it happen,” said Stafford, who is also the director of Jazz Studies at Temple șŁœÇֱȄ in Philadelphia. “It’s a great family atmosphere.”The following evening, the event featured Saturday Night Live musical director Lenny Pickett, who played with the UCF Jazz Ensemble I in front of an overflowing crowd of spectators.

Pickett took the crowd on a wild ride of different funk arrangements, cruising through songs while being backed up by a large horn section of UCF jazz students. Demonstrating his skill with the saxophone, Pickett soloed with great emotion and agility, hitting notes so high that the crowd stood on its feet when he finished.

Also performing that night was adjunct professor Bobby Koelble’s band the Absinthe Trio, who creates a unique blend of jazz and atmospheric electronic music.

Jeff Brzycki, a freshman business major, had a lot more motivation to go to the jazz festival besides extra credit for his popular American music class.

“I definitely felt like this was the most interesting event happening on campus,” said Brzycki, waiting for the show to start during the first night of the festival. “Jazz is one of the genres where it’s a lot easier to appreciate because you can see the skill. I’m looking forward to this.”

From Stafford’s skillful song arranging to Pickett’s extravagant solos, each night of the festival brought the audience a display of masterful jazz musicianship. Other high points of the festival were the Absinthe Trio’s ambient compositions, as well as the overall tightness of the UCF Jazz Ensemble I and UCF All Star High School Jazztet.

“The festival is terrific. The kids are incredible musicians and they’re full of energy,” said Jerry Brignola, an audience member from Fort Lauderdale whose daughter is a freshman majoring in environmental engineering.

Brignola said he prefers attending festivals such as this instead of professional concerts because of the students’ intense passion for the music.

“Professionals play shows and will constantly check their watches, waiting for their paycheck. These kids are here because they love the music,” said Brignola, who plays saxophone himself. “When you come to this festival, it’s only about the music.”

One aspect of jazz that has always been crucial is passing the music from one generation to the next. Rupert hopes that holding events such as this will keep jazz alive and encourage young people to learn this beloved style of music.

“This is America’s classical music,” said Rupert, packing up his saxophone after the first night of the festival. “With jazz, we not only try to cultivate the music, we cultivate the audience. We embrace the youth.”

Throughout both nights of the event, the crowd gave standing ovations to all of the performers and applauded whenever any player finished a solo. As the event came to an end, it was obvious that the audience, as well as the performers, had enjoyed the festival.

“I had a good time. I’m just happy to play my saxophone to tell you the truth,” Pickett said. “These guys played great so it was fun.”

Rupert told the audience that they can expect another festival next year and that everyone should look forward to the fifth annual UCF-Orlando Jazz Festival.

“I think if music can bleed into life and more people could see the democracy of what jazz music is about, I think we could all get along much better,” Stafford said. “It’s a beautiful thing. I wouldn’t rather be doing anything else.”

Source: Central Florida Future, ‘America’s classical’ plays on, by Tim Freed, contributing writer. Published: Sunday, March 27, 2011, updated: Sunday, March 27, 2011 17:03

The Jazz Professors: Live at the UCF-Orlando Jazz Festival features director of Jazz Studies Jeff Rupert, Per Danielsson, Marty Morrell, Richard Drexler, and Bobby Koelble.

Having performed, recorded and toured with a veritable “who’s who” of the jazz realm, these musicians contradict Mencken’s adage: “Those who can–do. Those who can’t–teach.” The performance was recorded live at the 3rd-Annual UCF-Orlando Jazz Festival on March 20, 2010, featuring a guest appearance from preeminent saxophonist Grant Stewart.

is the definitive Jazz and Smooth Jazz national radio airplay chart—a weekly report of the top 50 Jazz and Smooth Jazz recordings played on radio stations across the United States and Canada. Radio reporters and industry subscribers receive the weekly Jazz Fax or Smooth Fax with the current chart each Friday.

The Jazz Professors is the second release from UCF Music’s new label Flying Horse Records. Flying Horse Records’ previous release Jazz Town peaked at No. 43 on the chart. Find out more about The Jazz Professors CD at the Flying Horse Records website.

On April 13, 2010, the UCF Jazz Ensemble, comprised of freshmen, sophomores, and a few juniors in the emerging Jazz Studies program, recorded seven pieces with director Jeff Rupert.

The resulting collaboration, includes not only classics but also new works such as “Bad Moon” and the title track written specifically for the UCF Jazz Ensemble.

Jazz singer Vance Villastrigo joins the band on the jazz standard, “The Eternal Triangle”, arranged by Cliff Pecota and on the soul classic, “Me and Mrs. Jones”, arranged specifically for this collaboration.

Repertory works include the Fletcher Henderson arrangement of “Bugle Call Rag”, featuring several student soloists along with Allan VachĂ© on clarinet, whose contribution is exciting and flawless.

Thomas Potter (UCF voice faculty) joins the UCF band and Villastrigo for a remake of the James Brown classic, “It’s a Man’s World”, inspired by the James Brown/Luciano Pavarotti collaboration. “Lush Life” and “Spring Can Really Hang you Up the Most” are live performances by the UCF Jazz Professors at the internationally-acclaimed UCF Orlando Jazz Festival.

Jazz Town was professionally recorded, mixed and mastered in Orlando at Starke Lake Studios by Kendall S. Thomsen. The album is distributed by UCF Music’s new label . Packaging design and marketing materials were produced by UCF Senior Art Specialist Matthew Dunn.

Thomas Potter is an associate professor in the

Jeff M Rupert is a professor in the Department of Music, and the program director of the Department of Music Jazz

“It was tight,” said Paul Lartonoix, assistant dean of UCF’s College of Arts and Humanities.

In fact, the building still smells new — and some rooms are awaiting finishing touches.

But the offices and classrooms are complete, and on a recent weekday students were tap dancing to “All That Jazz” in a new studio, while down the hall a professor lectured a costume-design class on Elizabethan-era menswear.

The 75,000-square-foot building has a working theater-lighting lab so students can gain practical experience. And there’s a music-instruction lab with music and computer keyboards at each student’s desk that are all hooked into a sound system controlled by the instructor.

Studio floors are low-impact for dancers’ and actors’ feet, but sturdy enough to support scenery and props.

The floors and air ducts are constructed so sound cannot vibrate into adjoining spaces. Extra-thick walls and doors complete the soundproofing.

“If you’re trying to do a percussion rehearsal in one room and a string quartet in the next room, it will work,” said Christopher Niess, chairman and artistic director of the theater department.

A theatrical design classroom, in which accurately seeing colors is key, received an exemption from UCF’s requirement of using energy-efficient, compact fluorescent light bulbs, which distort colors.

As a whole, however, the building was constructed to be eco-conscious and is certified by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, an international evaluator of Earth-friendly buildings.

Just as important as the technical specifications is the sense of purpose and collaboration forged by uniting the performing-arts disciplines in one structure, Niess said.

Previously, classrooms and faculty offices were scattered across UCF’s sprawling campus.

“Just being there in the same location, we already have several projects using people from both music and theater,” Niess said. For example, the upcoming play “Vinegar Tom” will use some musicians as actors.

The next phase of the project calls for adding a 520-seat theater, a smaller theater, a 600-seat concert hall and a smaller recital hall.

Because the emphasis is on performance space instead of academic use, UCF is turning to private donations rather than state money. The UCF Foundation, which raises funds for the university, has set a target of $65 million.

Though there’s no firm timetable for construction — it all depends on when the money is raised — Lartonoix said three years was “optimistic but not out of the question.”

In the meantime, Niess is focused on future students and what UCF can now offer them. The music and theater programs have been attracting more interest each year; about 550 are now in the theater program and 260 are music majors.

In the past, Niess said, students would become interested in UCF at recruitment fairs and conferences, but then lose their interest when they saw the school’s scattered, cramped classrooms.

He likes the message he’ll be able to give the potential students at Saturday’s recruitment event: “We have the faculty to make your experience wonderful, but now we have the facilities, too, to give you a competitive edge.”

Source: OrlandoSentinel.com, Orlando Arts Blog, Nov. 19, 2010, Matt Palm, UCF’s new recruitment tool: $25 million School of Performing Arts

Jeff Rupert heads Jazz Studies in the Music Department at UCF. He enjoys an active career as a freelance tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger, and possesses “a classic tenor sound, the virtuosity to execute practically any musical idea, and the imagination to make those ideas worth hearing” according to Ed Berger of The Institute of Jazz Studies. Jeff is also a long-time member of Sam Rivers’ band, with recent performance and recording at Lincoln Center, for Ed Bradley’s Jazz from Lincoln Center broadcast on NPR.

Since opening in 1971, the Kennedy Center has presented some of the greatest performers from across America and around the world. More information is available on the Kennedy Center website.

Jeff Rupert is a professor in the , and the program director of the Department of Music Jazz.

șŁœÇֱȄ students organized the “Give for the Gulf” benefit concert and festival, which will be held from noon to 7 p.m. on Memory Mall, the grassy area of campus across from the UCF Arena.

The event will feature several Central Florida-based musical acts, including the reggae jam band Illegal Beats and the jazz funk group Shak Nasti, as well as food vendors and other booths. Maida Vale and country music artists Glenn Cummings and Raiford Starke are among the other scheduled performers.

Tickets will be available the day of the festival. They are $7 for college students with IDs and for guests ages 18 and under and 55 and over. Admission will be $15 for all others. Free parking will be available in Garage D, across from the UCF Arena, for guests arriving before 6 p.m.

UCF’s Alpha Tau Omega Eta Rho fraternity chapter organized the festival. The chapter’s brothers are no strangers to benefit concerts — they host an annual holiday show called “Rock the Wreath” to raise funds for the Children’s Miracle Network.

Chapter leaders say “Give for the Gulf” is a much-needed call to action for Central Floridians, and they hope students and the community will support the important cause.

“The oil spill was — and still is — a national crisis,” said Patrick McConachie, the festival’s event coordinator and marketing director. “We decided that we need to help in any way we can.”

All proceeds from “Give for the Gulf” will benefit charities involved with oil spill cleanup efforts, animal rescues and aid for Gulf families, including GreaterGood.org, Mote Marine Laboratory, the Surfrider Foundation, the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.

Since the April BP oil spill, many members of the UCF community have been involved with awareness and research efforts.

Student organizations have educated others about eco-friendly ways to reduce petroleum use. UCF staff members have organized donation drives for gulf aid, including the Pinellas County-based Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary’s coastal cleanup efforts.

UCF’s research related to the oil spill includes the development of radiation technology that could destroy environmentally harmful chemicals and a study of rising sea level that could help identify how remaining oil could travel through and impact sensitive ecosystems.

In addition, UCF is part of a statewide university task force responding to the disaster, and UCF biologists are collecting data on how to save the fragile oyster reef ecosystems along Florida’s East Coast should the oil threaten them.

For this weekend’s “Give for the Gulf” concert, sponsorship and vendor opportunities are still available, and the fraternity also has set up an online donation system.

To give, check out a full list of performing bands or find additional information, go to http://www.ucfgivesforthegulf.org. For more information, call 305-807-5100.

On weekday afternoons, longtime Sunday jazz host John Segers is taking the helm of “Afternoon Jazz,” which airs from 2 to 6 p.m. WUCF will be dropping “Fresh Air” for a jazzier lineup, moving the current 7 p.m. weekday National Public Radio schedule (“Jazz at Lincoln Center,” “Jazz Profiles,” “JazzSet,” “Jazz Inspired” and “Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz”) to 6 p.m.

“JazzWorks” hosted by Tony Mowad will begin at 7 p.m. weekdays, an hour earlier than previous scheduled.

Saturdays on the șŁœÇֱȄ’s listener-supported, public radio station will remain the same, with no schedule changes.

Sunday mornings, NPR’s “Weekend Edition” will be replaced with “Bob Edwards Weekend” in the same timeslot, from 8 to 10 a.m. Many know Edwards from his years as an anchor for NPR’s “Morning Edition.” He is often considered among the most distinguished journalists in broadcasting, winning the DuPont-Columbia Award for radio journalism, a prestigious Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting and the Edward R. Murrow Award for outstanding contributions to public radio.

WUCF is on the FM dial at 89.9 and is a non-commercial, nonprofit public broadcasting service, licensed by UCF. WUCF broadcasts all day, every day of the year and has been on the air since 1979.

If you would like to learn more about the programming changes, contact Jan Whitehouse at 407-823-2666 or jan@wucf.org.