The music of jazz greats like Duke Ellington and Miles Davis will fill the Union Theater this Friday as the LSU Jazz Ensemble performs its fall concert. The program, under the direction of Willis Delony, will be a review of classic jazz music, highlighting compositions by some of today’s foremost composers and arrangers, such as Pat Metheny, Sammy Nestico and Les Hooper.
A press release said the itinerary also includes classic arrangements made famous by the Stan Kenton Orchestra.
Delony, an experienced arranger in his own right, said the Jazz Ensemble is a music course that usually puts on two or three shows a year. He said the show lasts 90 minutes and typically is sold out, filling the theater with 900 and 1000 attendees.
“People are always amazed at the difficulty level of the music they play,” Delony said. “It’s intense music, but we have been planning and practicing for this show since August.”
Delony knows talent when he sees it and handpicked the entire ensemble through a series of auditions. He looks for musicians that have a strong sense of rhythm and can play in tune with a group, he said.
But the musical aptitude does not lie only with the students – it extends to their leader as well.
Delony earned praise as a classical and jazz pianist, conductor, chamber musician, and arranger throughout the U.S., Europe, Mexico and China. Pop orchestras throughout the nation have even performed his original scores.
He also appeared as a piano soloist or guest conductor with numerous symphonies, including the Toronto Symphony, the Detroit Symphony and most recently the Shanghai Symphony.
Delony took over the ensemble in 2001, but the group has been around for more than two decades.
The Jazz Ensembles of LSU were formed in the late 1970s as a way to promote the mainstream and modern big-band jazz forms. The bands frequently have hosted and performed with many important guest artists, such as Les Hooper, composer/ arranger Fred Sturm and LSU alums, Carl Fontana and trombonist Harry Watters.
The group has been featured at the prestigious Notre Dame Jazz Festival and now regularly performs at the New Orleans Jazz Festival.
“This is American music,” Delony said. “Jazz is an American art form and it has influenced all forms of music, from rock to hip-hop.”
Admission for students is $6, $8 for senior citizens, while tickets for the general public are $10.
The performance Friday begins at 8 p.m.