Jim Leslie, UD Jazztet to present ‘A Night of Monk and Mingus’
Jim Leslie and the University of Dayton Jazztet will present A Night of Monk and Mingus at the Fitton Center this month.
“The evening will appeal to people who love jazz – Monk and Mingus in particular, of course – but also to people who might not be familiar with their work,” said Jim Leslie. “We’re going to take people on a musical journey that’s very accessible.”
He said, “There’s something so special about live jazz and seeing it come to life in the moment. Rehearsal allows you to put up the frame, but on stage, in front of the audience, that is where you put up the rest of the house. It’s a musical party and the audience is invited.”
As part of the Jazz & Cabaret series, Jim Leslie and the University of Dayton Jazztet will present A Night of Monk and Mingus at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 16 at the Fitton Center. Tickets for the concert are $35 for members; $43 for non-members. (Plus, a $1 service fee, per ticket.)
Pianist and composer Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus, a jazz bassist and composer, were among the first creators of modern jazz music.
“Monk and Mingus are jazz titans, so for those who love jazz, and for those who want to find out more, or hear more, Jim Leslie and the University of Dayton Jazztet are going to be bringing an incredible night of music,” said Ian MacKenzie-Thurley, executive director of the Fitton Center.
Often found behind a drum kit, Jim Leslie is a frequent performer at Fitton Center, most recently playing with the Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra last May for CCJO Goes to the Movies.
Leslie is a lecturer in the Department of Music at the
University of Dayton, where he has taught since 1999. As percussion coordinator, he teaches applied percussion and drum set lessons, percussion pedagogy classes, Percussion Ensemble and Winter Drumline.
Leslie is also the assistant director of the Pride of Dayton Marching Band and director of the Flyer Drumline. As Jazz Area Coordinator, he leads the faculty Jazztet and directs the University Jazz Band. As an active professional musician, Leslie is the drummer for the Blue Wisp Big Band, a Cincinnati jazz institution for over 40 years.
Joining Leslie for the evening are Garin Webb on saxophone, Taylor Nelson on guitar, Phillip Burkhead on piano, Chris Berg on upright bass, and Eric Lechliter of the CCJO guest starring on trumpet.
“We are really fortunate to have some great musicians in the area; these are just amazing players,” Leslie said. “Not only amazing players, but great people, too, and they bring that to the music as well. You hear it.”
Leslie and the University of Dayton Jazztet will interpret hits by the legendary Monk and Mingus. For example, the Jazztet will turn Monk’s “Ugly Beauty” from a slow ballad into a Latin waltz and give “Green Chimneys” a New Orleans second-line sound.
“The music of Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus touches so many of the hot spots for jazz,” said Leslie. “You have the great compositions. You have the freedom to solo. You have this bluesy earthiness. You have something that hits you in the head and something that hits you in the gut at the same time.”