College of Wooster hosts Drummer Bernard Purdie

Trio of jazz ensembles to perform American hits

WOOSTER, Ohio —Three College of Wooster jazz ensembles will perform in concert with special guest Bernard Purdie this Friday (Feb. 1) at 7:30 p.m. in Freelander Theatre (329 E. University St.).

The Tuesday Jazz Combo, Thursday Jazz Combo, and The College of Wooster Jazz Ensemble will perform under the direction of Jeffrey Lindberg, conductor and professor of music. Lindberg is also the artistic director and co-founder of the award-winning Chicago Jazz Orchestra, that city’s oldest professional jazz orchestra.

Purdie, an accomplished drummer, has been described as a pioneer of a hybrid between jazz, soul, and funk. He has provided a constant beat since he began playing in 1960, but it was his work with Aretha Franklin in 1970 that launched his career in earnest. Since then, he has worked with such artists as The Rolling Stones, Tom Jones, and James Brown. He has performed on more than 3,000 albums, making him the world’s most recorded drummer.

Also featured will be College of Wooster senior Darius Dixson, vocalist and producer of the popular campus band, Freddie Cool.

Music to be performed on Friday includes George Gershwin’s “Summertime,” Cole Porter’s “At Long Last Love,” Rogers and Hammerstein’s “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” Sonny Rollins’ “St. Thomas,” Sammy Nestico’s the “Heat’s On,” and Joe Zawinul’s “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.”

General admission tickets are $5 and may be purchased in advance on campus at the Florence O. Wilson Bookstore, in town at the Wooster Book Company and Towne Market, and at the north end at Buehler’s Milltown. Tickets will also be available at the door on the evening of the concert. College of Wooster students, faculty, and staff are admitted free of charge.

Additional information is available by phone (330-263-2419) or e-mail.