COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 15, 2005) — A trombone recital by music professor Joshua Hauser will be presented at 8 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 21, in the Wattenbarger Auditorium of Tennessee Tech University’s Bryan Fine Arts Building.

The program – which is free and open to the public – will consist of two parts. The first will include works composed by Anthony Plog and Eric Ewazen, with Paul Thurmond accompanying on piano.

The second part will be a tribute to the legacy of J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding Quintet, with featured guest trombonist Bill Huber of Nashville accompanied by TTU students Mark Smith on electric bass and Paul Deatherage on drums.

“The repertoire for this concert holds a special place for me because it represents my passions for both jazz and classical and presents music by composers with whom I’ve had the opportunity of working,” said Hauser.

As a college student in Ohio and a member of the institution’s large brass ensemble, Hauser was a student of Plog for a semester.

TTU’s trombone ensemble last fall had the opportunity to work with Ewazen. With three concerti for bass trombone, the composer has written more pieces devoted specifically to the instrument than many other composers have.

The concert will close with a performance of several works from The Great Kai and J.J., a 1960 recording that helped set the standard for jazz trombone playing.

“Several years ago, I had the opportunity to study with the great jazz trombonist J.J. Johnson, whose playing with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie broke new ground for the trombone as a lead voice in jazz,” Hauser said. “Bill Huber and I played one of these tunes together last semester and felt we needed to delve further into this great tradition.”

--Tracey LeFevre
This information posted 16 February 2005