Celebrating 20 years, The Calvin Jones Big Band Jazz Festival on the campus of the University of the District of Columbia showed cased jazz ensembles from local university students that included Howard University, University of Maryland, and UDC.

 

Howard's jazz ensemble (Fred Irby, Director) performed a jazz melody of the 70's R&B soul group Earth, Wind, and Fire's original classics: That's the Way of the World, After the Love Is Gone, and September.

 

Vocalist Ms. Krislynn Perry, of the UDC Jazz Ensemble (Allyn Johnson, Director), wowed the audience with the Calvin Jones arrangement of  I'm Glad There Is You.

 

University of Maryland's ensemble, directed by Chris Vadala, performed an electrifying rendition of Dizzy Gillespie's A Night In Tunisia will ring heavy in the minds of audience members.

 

The Calvin Jones Big Band Festival is a yearly Spring tribute to Mr. Jones, former composer, arranger and founder of UDC's jazz studies program who died in 2004 at age seventy-five.

 

The event was hosted by Cheryl Lewis Hawkins (Program and Production Coordinator, UDC Cable Television) and Judith Korey (Music-Program Coordinator and Curator of the Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives).

 

Radio personalities from D.C.'s Jazz and Public Affairs radio station 89.3 WPFW's, Fauneè, Candy Shannon, and Ron Pinchback were also present.

 

See pics of the evening's performances.