UNCSA Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music to take place March 27 and 28

The School of Music at UNCSA will present Spontaneous Sound: A Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music in downtown Winston-Salem Friday and Saturday, March 27 and 28. Presented by Mercedes-Benz of Winston-Salem, the two-day community music festival features regional high school and middle school bands, UNCSA student musicians, master classes with acclaimed artists and immersive jazz experiences throughout the day.

This year’s featured guest artists are a collective of internationally recognized guest artists including guitarist Mike Baggetta, saxophonist and Music alumnus Eddie Barbash (High School ’07), Grammy-nominated violinist and fiddle innovator Casey Driessen and legendary drummer Bernard “Pretty” Purdie.  In addition, local favorite Martha Bassett will perform with an ensemble during the free afternoon session on Saturday, March 28 at 3:20 p.m. Performances from other local musicians including Chrishawn Darby, Michael Kinchen, Rex McGee and the MOD Saxophone Quartet will also take place during free afternoon sessions.

Free daytime events begin at 1 p.m. each day. Each evening culminates in a ticketed paid performance at 7:30 p.m. featuring the Baggetta, Barbash, Driessen, Purdie, Rybicki Collective in a dynamic showcase of innovation and artistry. Festival performances and master classes will take place across multiple stages throughout Camel City BBQ Factory at 701 North Liberty St. Food will be available for purchase on site throughout the day.

Representing a vibrant cross section of contemporary improvised music, the artists blend jazz, Americana,experimental and global influences.

The festival is organized by Steve Alford, director, Improvised Music and Jazz, UNCSA School of Music.

Featured performers include:

• Mike Baggetta – Guitar: Guitarist Mike Baggetta is known for his genre-blurring approach that merges Americana, experimental jazz and rock. He leads the power trio MSSV (main steam stop valve) with Mike Watt and Stephen Hodges and has collaborated with artists such as Jim Keltner, Nels Cline, Jeff Coffin and David Torn. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Rolling Stone and “The Wire.”
• Eddie Barbash – Saxophone: Hailed by Jon Batiste as “one of the world’s most important saxophonists,” Eddie Barbash (HS ’07) was a founding member of the house band for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and currently tours internationally with Cory Wong and the Wongnotes. His sound is featured on the Oscar- and Grammy-winning film “Soul,” and he has performed at major venues and festivals including Carnegie Hall, the Village Vanguard, Newport Jazz Festival and Umbria Jazz Festival.
• Casey Driessen – Violin/Fiddle: Grammy-nominated violinist and fiddle innovator Casey Driessen is widely recognized for pushing the boundaries of bowed string performance. He has collaborated with artists including Béla Fleck, Abigail Washburn, Steve Martin and Jerry Douglas, and has performed in over 20 countries. Driessen is also the creator of Otherlands, a global music exploration project, and founder of the Blue Ridge Fiddle Camp in North Carolina.
• Bernard “Pretty” Purdie – Drums: Arguably the most recorded drummer in the world, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie hit the New York music scene in the early 1960s and landed his first hit with American R&B duo Mickey and Sylvia, marking the beginning of his stellar career. He later had a 25-year association with Aretha Franklin and has been a regular guest in the studios of the stars of jazz, soul and rock, including working with Lonnie Youngblood, King Curtis, Les Cooper, Paul Butterfield, Larry Coryell, Miles Davis, Hall & Oates, Al Kooper, Herbie Mann, Todd Rundgren and Cat Stevens as well as producing his own solo albums. In addition, he has anchored sessions with the Rolling Stones, James Brown and Tom Jones.

The complete schedule for the UNCSA Improvised Music and Jazz Festival is:

All performances will be at Camel City BBQ Factory at 701 North Liberty St. in Winston-Salem.

Friday, March 27 

Liberty Room

• 1 p.m.: UNCSA’s Jazz V, Cocktail Jazz Octet featuring vocal, sax, harp, cello, vibes and rhythm section
• 1:40 p.m.: Rex McGee, Local roots virtuoso fronts a special project
• 3 p.m.: UNCSA’s Arturo Dekle Ensemble, 9-piece Latin Ensemble
• 4 p.m.: Eddie Barbash, Saxophonist Eddie Barbash (HS ’07) presents an original multi-genre experience
• 5:20 p.m.: UNCSA’s Gratis, a 5-piece ensemble performing fully improvised soundscape and improvisation
• 7:30 p.m., Baggetta, Barbash, Driessen, Purdie, Rybicki Collective headlining show. Featuring Mike Baggetta, Eddie Barbash (HS ’07), Casey Driessen, Bernard Purdie and Matt Rybicki 

Whiskey Room

• 1 p.m.: UNCSA’s Alex Peńaloza’s Jazz Recital, a presentation of original jazz arrangements and original jazz compositions
• 2:20 p.m.: UNCSA’s Jazz Bag Prongs, straight-ahead jazz quintet playing hard bop and classics
• 4 p.m.: UNCSA’s Blue Mitchell Ensemble, Trumpet – Tenor jazz quintet
• 5 p.m.: UNCSA’s Chez Wycal, original arrangements and compositions of straight-ahead quintet jazz  

CAVE

• 1:20 p.m.: UNCSA’s HIRÆTH. Definition: a profound, bittersweet longing, nostalgia, or yearning for a home, time, or place — often one that is lost, idealized or never existed. Metal soundscape and exploration
• 2:20 p.m.: Mike Baggetta Solo Performance, solo guitar and soundscape
• 3:40 p.m.: Casey Driessen Solo Performance, solo violin and electric soundscape  

Saturday, March 28

Liberty Room  

• 1 p.m.: Eddie Barbash Master Class
• 2:20 p.m.: UNCSA’s A Pack of Camels, rock and pop ensemble performing a range of popular favorites
• 3:20 p.m.: Martha Bassett Ensemble, local singer, bandleader and host of “The Martha Bassett Show” brings an original group
• 4:40 p.m.: Michael Kinchen Ensemble, local musician, composer and multi-instrumentalist Kinchen leads a jazz and improvisation experience
• 7:30 p.m.: Baggetta, Barbash, Driessen, Purdie, Rybicki Collective headlining show, featuring Mike Baggetta, Eddie Barbash (HS ’07), Casey Driessen, Bernard Purdie and Matt Rybicki 

Whiskey Room  

• 1 p.m.: UNCSA’s Sarah Vaughn Ensemble, vocal-led sextet playing standard jazz
• 1:40 p.m.: UNCSA’s When the power goes out, roots ensemble 
• 2:20 p.m.: Casey Driessen Master Class
• 3:40 p.m.: Mike Baggetta Master Class
• 5 p.m.: Chrishawn Darby Quartet, Greensboro-based drummer and bandleader brings top players from the Durham jazz scene.  

CAVE

• 1 p.m.: UNCSA’s Free Improvisation Class Performance, Tadeu Coelho’s Spring Class presents musical flow-state improvisation
• 1:40 p.m.: UNCSA’s Hex, funk and fusion music from a jazz sextet
• 2:40 p.m.: Caleb Carpenter Solo Performance, carnatic Improvisation on saxophone
• 3:20 p.m.: MOD Saxophone Quartet Performance
• 4:40 p.m.: UNCSA’s Gratis, a five-piece ensemble performing fully improvised soundscape and improvisation 

Tickets for the Baggetta, Barbash, Driessen, Purdie, Rybicki Collective headlining concerts at 7:30 p.m. on both nights are $25 for adults and $20 for non-UNCSA students with valid ID. Daytime events are free. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the box office at 336-721-1945.

Tickets and information about Spontaneous Sound: A Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music can be found at uncsa.edu/performances.

Contact Media Relations(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)

Get the best news, performance and alumni stories from UNCSA.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTERS(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)