Jazz trumpet soloist Howie Shear to perform with Syracuse University’s Morton Schiff Jazz Ensemble April 22

Jazz trumpet soloist Howie Shear to perform with Syracuse University’s Morton Schiff Jazz Ensemble April 22April 15, 2003Judy Holmesjlholmes@syr.edu

Editor’s note: Free parking is available in the Irving Garage. Special needs parking is available by calling 443-2191.

Jazz trumpet soloist and composer Howie Shear will perform with the Syracuse University Morton Schiff Jazz Ensemble on April 22 at 8 p.m. in the Rose and Jules R. Setnor Auditorium. The concert is presented by the Setnor Tuesday Concert Series and is free and open to the public.

Shear will also conduct a music clinic on April 21 in the Rose, Jules R. and Stanford S. Setnor School of Music. The clinic is open to all students and the general public. For information about the clinic, call 443-2191.

During the concert, Shear will perform his own arrangements of Chick Corea’s “Spain” and “Angel Eyes,” a jazz ballad by M. Dennis and E. Brent. He will also perform improvisations with members of the jazz ensemble on a driving rhythm changes composition by Thad Jones called “Little Pixie II.”

The jazz ensemble, co-directed by Joseph Riposo and John Coggiola, will perform several big band compositions from such modern composers as Sammy Nestico, Neal Hefti and Rick Lawn. The students will also take turns improvising on several musical selections.

Shear is among the West Coast’s most sought after lead and jazz trumpet soloists. He has performed extensively around the world in studio and in concert engagements with such celebrities as the Woody Herman Orchestra, Stevie Wonder, George Benson, Tony Bennett, Chuck Mangione and Jeff Berlin, among others. Shear has composed, arranged and orchestrated music for films, television shows and recording projects for artists in the United States and Canada. His recent solo album, “Bopliography,” has received critical acclaim for its exciting improvisations, sensitive melodic development and advanced harmonic treatment of compositions he has composed. According to Coggiola, “the students are very excited to have the opportunity to work and perform with Shear. Exposure to artists like him enables students to gain important perspectives and valuable information that will help them become successful musicians.”