The World Jazz and Intercultural Improvisation Ensemble and the Charles Mingus Ensemble will be performing well-known jazz standards as well as compositions by the faculty directors and the students.
The World Jazz and Intercultural Improvisation Ensemble is directed by Steven Loza, who is currently chair of the Global Jazz Studies Interdepartmental Programa and also a professor of ethnomusicology at UCLA. He is also a trumpet player who has performed a great amount of jazz and Latin jazz. He has recorded three CDs on the Merrimack label and has produced numerous concerts and arts festivals internationally.
The Charles Mingus Ensemble is directed by Justo Almario, a multi-instrumentalist of the highest caliber who has mastered the soprano and tenor saxophones, clarinet, and flute. A native of Colombia, reedman, clinician, composer, and arranger Justo Almario has fused Latin, Afro-Cuban, South American, funk and jazz genres into his own humble offering. He has performed with Patrice Rushen’s Grammy Awards Orchestra, Freddie Hubbard, Roy Ayers, George Duke, Tito Puente, Machito, and Dave Grusin, among others.