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Features GO Magazine Eou jazz combo concert features guest artist Greg Johnson
Eou jazz combo concert features guest artist Greg Johnson
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The concert is Monday at 7:30 p.m. in Schwarz Theatre in Loso Hall. Johnson will appear on the tenor and alto saxophone. A graduate of North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas), Johnson was a member of the famous One O'Clock Band while a student. "Greg will augment the group with his soulful, blues-drenched saxophone sound," said Matt Cooper, professor of music and director of the EOU Jazz Combo. "And he also brings the benefit of his experience with a first-rate jazz program, as well as his years of experience as a professional musician. "Our saxophone students in particular will benefit from playing alongside a performer of his caliber," Cooper added, "and his solos will inspire the whole band with new ideas." Since moving to Eastern Oregon, Johnson has emerged on the local music scene, performing frequently with Jimmy Lloyd Rae, Al MacLeod and the Silencers and other groups. He also owns a business, Benjamin Brown Books and Billards, in downtown La Grande. The EOU Jazz Combo is an all-student ensemble with two saxophones, vibes, guitar, bass, piano and drums. "This year's group features several talented new and transfer students and a high-energy rhythm section," Cooper said. "And this is the first time we have presented a jazz concert in the more intimate space of the Schwarz Theatre, which we hope will feel more like an evening at a loft or nightclub rather than a theatre." The concert includes a lineup of mainstream jazz standards by Lee Morgan, Horace Silver, Charlie Parker, McCoy Tyner, Benny Goodman and Charlie Christian. Two jazz originals by Eugene guitarist Michael Denny are also on the program. Denny is a recording artist on the Origin record label and a member of the jazz studies faculty at the University of Oregon's School of Music. Admission to the concert is free and donations will be accepted at the door to benefit the EOU Jazz Combo. Stick around for a special "meet the artists" reception in the Green Room backstage after the concert with refreshments provided by ARAMARK. For more information call Matt Cooper at 962-3559. |
