Tuesday, January 14, 2003

Wilmington, NC—The North Carolina Jazz Festival swings into UNCW’s

Kenan Auditorium at 8 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 30. As one of the nation’s

premiere weekend jazz parties, the festival features a stellar lineup of

world-class classic jazz musicians.

UNCW is hosting the preview as a new collaborative effort between NC

Jazz Festival Inc. and the university’s Arts in Action Performance Series

and Department of Music. The preview was previously held at Thalian

Hall. The festival, now in its 23rd year, began when a local restaurateur

sponsored a weekend jazz party featuring Art Hodes, Kenny Davern and

Don DeMichael. A complete sellout led to a repeat the following year

with Dick Hyman, Kenny Davern and Bobby Rosengarden.

Featured artists at this year’s festival preview are listed below. Musicians

are subject to change. Any substitutions will be announced from the

stage.

• Joe Ascione on drums. Known as the fastest left hand in drumming,

Ascione has appeared with Herb Ellis, Marian McPartland and David

Grisman.

• Dan Barrett on trombone. He performed with Benny Goodman’s last

orchestra and many other respected jazz musicians.

• John Cocuzzi on vibes and piano. He follows in the tradition of the

Lionel Hampton and is a veteran of many American and European music

festivals.

• Greg Cohen on bass. Cohen has played in countless jazz lineups with

top musicians including Bill Frisell, John Zorn and Dave Douglas.

• Phil Flanigan on bass. One of the world’s premier jazz bassists, Flanigan

is known for his impeccable sense of time and for his original and melodic

solos.

• Mark Shane on piano. A pianist who performs in the vintage genres and

excels at the stride style, Shane has performed with Benny Goodman,

Doc Chetham and many other jazz greats.

• Derek Smith on piano. He is one of the world’s most recorded

commercial/jazz pianists and is a favorite of the N.C. Jazz Festival.

• Allan Vache on clarinet. His skilled musicianship is in the Benny

Goodman style.

• Duke Heitger on trumpet. He is best known as the trumpet player on the

Squirrel Nut Zippers album.

• Chris Tyle on cornet. A second-generation jazz musician, Tyle has been

praised as a talented musician who is keeping the tradition of early jazz

alive.

• Jack Maheu on clarinet. An award-winning musician, he is a regular at

the famous Bourbon Street club in New Orleans.

• Brian Ogilvie on clarinet and tenor sax. Ogilvie is an internationally

renowned saxophonist and clarinetist in the interpretation of early jazz

forms.

• Kevin Dorn on drums. A young and growing talent, he has played with

many of the top names in classic jazz including Dan Barrett, Bob Haggart,

Bob Wilber and Johnny Varro.

Tickets are free for UNCW students and children 12 and under; $15 for

UNCW faculty/staff and Arts in Action series subscribers; and $25 for all

others. Call the Kenan Auditorium box office at 910/962-3500 or

800/732-3643 outside of the Wilmington area. Box office hours are 10 a.m.

to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Additional information is available on

the Web at www.uncw.edu/stuaff/arts.