CCNY Hosts 8th Annual Cuny Jazz Festival, May 10-11

[Lois Gilbert]

CCNY Hosts 8th Annual Cuny Jazz Festival, May 10-11

Guitarist John Abercrombie to Appear as Guest Artist

NEW YORK -- The City College of New York (CCNY) will host the Eighth Annual CUNY Jazz Festival, Thursday, May 10, and Friday, May 11, in Aaron Davis Hall, Theater B. The program runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, and admission is free to all events.

”The CUNY Jazz Festival is the foremost venue for promoting jazz education in CUNY,” said Michael Holober, CCNY Assistant Professor of Music and festival director. “It gives students an opportunity to learn from one another and work with some of the leading lights of the contemporary jazz scene.”

Nineteen student and faculty ensembles from six CUNY colleges - CCNY, College of Staten Island, Hunter College, Lehman College, Queens College and York College - along students from the jazz program at Shobi University, Japan, and the LaGuardia High School Jazz Ensemble, will participate in this year's festival.

The guest artist, guitarist John Abercrombie, will play as a soloist with the CCNY Big Band, host the open jam session and perform with his own trio, which includes organist Gary Versace and drummer Anthony Pinciotti, at the Gala Concert that closes the festival. He performs at 7:30 p.m. both evenings.

Mr. Abercrombie has appeared on over 100 albums, including 27 as lead, over a 39-year career, performing with such artists as Gato Barbieri, Dave Liebman and McCoy Tyner, among others. His newest album, The Third Quartet, was released last month by ECM Records.

The festival is presented by The Simon H. Rifkind Center for the Humanities and the Arts at The City College and The City College Music Department in cooperation with Jazz at Lincoln Center and Aaron Davis Hall.