Trumpeter kicks off annual jazz festival

KALAMAZOO—Grammy-nominated composer and trumpeter Tim Hagans will join the Western Jazz Quartet in the kickoff concert for the 33rd annual Western Invitational Jazz Festival at 8 p.m. Friday, March 15, in the Dalton Center Recital Hall. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at millerauditorium.com.

The closing concert of the festival, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 16, will feature Hagans, the University Jazz Orchestra, and the outstanding high school big band and combo from the 30 groups participating in this year’s festival. The day-long festival will feature high school big band and combo performances beginning at 9 a.m. The day’s activities are free and open to the public. Tickets for the evening concert can also be purchased at the door.

Tim Hagans

Hagans performs and records with the Tim Hagans Quartet. "The Moon is Waiting," his latest CD released on Palmetto Records, has been heralded by DownBeat Magazine as "an artistic success" and described by the Philadelphia Inquirer as "free jazz with constant drive and passion." For 15 years he was the artistic director and composer-in-residence for the Norrbotten Big Band, traveling to Sweden to perform, conduct and arrange projects with various guest artists. In 2012, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of music from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland.

Western Jazz Quartet

The Western Jazz Quartet has performed from Boston to Los Angeles, and tours regularly worldwide. It has been featured at festivals in Canada, Europe and the U.S., and at a week of performances at La Villa in Paris, France. The group was honored with sponsorship by the Arts America Program and often tours as artistic ambassadors for the U.S. Department of State including Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Poland, Italy, Croatia and Slovenia. The quartet has also toured Europe four times with pianist Wlodek Pawlik, drum legend Billy Hart, and jazz legend Randy Brecker. Members include Andrew Rathbun, saxophone; Jeremy Siskind, piano; Tom Knific, double bass; and Keith Hall, drums.

For more information, contact the School of Music at (269) 387-4678.