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Williams Jazz Ensemble

Sat, April 27th, 2019
8:00 pm

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Williams Jazz Ensemble presents a concert titled, Time Is. The inspiration for the program comes by way of another artistic endeavor – photography. Just as one could say that all photography is at some level about light, it could also be said that all music (and jazz in particular!) is about the sensation, the perception, and the manipulation of time. With this in mind, the Williams Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Kris Allen offers a varied program of jazz timescapes that span decades, grooves, and subgenres.

This examination starts with four movements of Kenny Wheeler’s “Sweet Time Suite.” Student arrangers also offer their own explorations led by Ariella Markowitz ’19, Andrew Aramini ’19, Evan Kauffmann ’21, and Jared Berger ’21. Compositions by masters like Thad Jones, John Hicks, and J.J. Johnson round out the program.

About Kris Allen
Kris Allen is Lyell B. Clay Artist in Residence in Jazz and Lecturer in Music at Williams and the director of the Williams Jazz Ensemble. An award winning saxophonist and composer, Allen has performed and/or recorded with Illinois Jacquet, Gerald Wilson, Andy Gonzales, Helen Sung, Winard Harper, Jimmy Greene, Andy Laverne, the Mingus Dynasty, and Mario Pavone. A member of the Truth Revolution Recording Collective, Allen has released two critically acclaimed albums of original works performed by his quartet: Circle House (2012) and Beloved (2017). He has enjoyed a long-term musical association across several projects with pianists  Zaccai Curtis, Jen Allen, Noah Baerman and and Andy Jaffe, and was  been a member of Kendrick Oliver’s New Life Jazz Orchestra for over a decade. Prior to to his time at Williams, Allen held positions at Trinity College, the Hartt School, Southern Connecticut State University, and the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts. He has been a senior teaching artist in the many educational programs of Litchfield Performing Arts since 2001.

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