Friday, March 16, 2001

Trombonist Slide Hampton will be the featured performer for the annual Guest Artist Jazz Festival March 30 and 31. He will perform as a soloist with the UNCW Big Band at 8 p.m., Friday, March 30, and with the UNCW Jazz Faculty rhythm section at 8 p.m., Saturday, March 31. Both concerts will be in the Warwick Center Ballroom.

Hampton, who launched his career at the age of 20, worked in bands led by Dizzy Gillespie, Barry Harris and Maynard Ferguson. In 1962, he formed the Slide Hampton Octet which toured Europe and recorded for several record labels including Atlantic and Columbia. In addition to performing throughout the world with various orchestras and musicians, Hampton composed and arranged numerous works for fellow artists. In 1988, he was a founding member of Dizzy Gilliespie’s Grammy Award-winning United Nation Orchestra.

In addition to the concerts, the festival will include performances by high school and college jazz bands from across the state. Hampton will lead music clinics from noon to 5 p.m. Both days are free and open to the public. Concert tickets, which will be on sale at the door, are $5, $2.50 for senior citizens, children under 12 and UNCW faculty. There will be no charge for UNCW students with a valid ID.