Southeast Missouri State Universitys Department of Music opens its annual Jazz Series with A Tribute to Sammy Nestico at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12 in the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall at Southeasts River Campus.

Southeast Jazz Lab and Studio Ensembles will present a thrilling collection of tunes dedicated to Sammy Nestico, a Grammy Award-nominated American composer and arranger of big band music.

This season opener will feature some of Nesticos most famous tunes such as Fun Time, A Time For Love, Fly Me to the Moon, Switch In Time, HayBurner, A Warm Breeze, Basie Straight Ahead and Splanky, Moten Swing, Flight of the Foo Bird and Blue Chip. Highlighted student soloists will include Cami Bonnie (tenor sax), Rachel Harness (clarinet), Landon Schnurbusch (piano), Logan Brunson (guitar), Jacob Fisher (alto sax), Brandon Keesey (trumpet), Levi Smith (trombone), Luke McFall (trombone), Brea Sloan (trumpet), Caleb Norman (piano), Max Janssen (Alto Sax) and Chloe Eye (tenor sax).

Throughout this concert, the connection between both Sammy Nestico and Count Basie will be highlighted. The collection of tunes to be performed will be familiar to some as well as an introduction to others.

In learning the style of Nestico, I decided to pick some tunes that werent as well-known as others but would stretch the ensemble to explore the arranging and compositional style of Sammy Nestico and the performance execution of the Count Basies Orchestra, said Dr. Joseph Jefferson, assistant professor of trombone/euphonium and director of jazz studies.

Tickets

Tickets for this concert and the entire Jazz Series may be purchased by contacting the River Campus Box Office, located in the Cultural Arts Center, 518 S. Fountain St., weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., by calling (573) 651-2265, or online athttps://rivercampus.org/event/a-tribute-to-sammy-nestico/. For further information, please contact Jefferson at (573) 651-2398.