MTSU Illinois Jacquet Jazz Fest features Jazz Ensemble, pianist Tamir Hendelman March 23 

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Pianist Tamir Hendelman will share some of his keys to making good music along with Middle Tennessee State University faculty members and MTSU’s School of Music Jazz Ensemble I as part of series of concerts and clinics March 23 as a part of the annual MTSU Illinois Jacquet Jazz Festival.   

Jamey Simmons, MTSU Jazz Studies professor — Jamey Simmons

 “This year’s festival features innovative performers and educators that will be once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for jazz students and audiences to experience,” said Director of Jazz Studies Jamey Simmons. 

 Hendelman will join MTSU’s Jazz Ensemble I at 5:15 p.m. Saturday, March 23, in Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building, 1439 Faulkinberry Drive. 

“The evening concert will showcase Tamir Hendelman’s abilities alongside our student artists,” said Simmons.   

Tickets for the concert are $10 for the public and free for MTSU students, faculty and staff. Discounts for area band students and educators are available. For reserved tickets, call 615-898-2724 or email  James.Simmons@mtsu.edu. 

The concert caps the daylong educational festival for middle school, high school, and university-level jazz students. 

 “He will share with us his gifts as a renowned educator as well,” said Simmons, referring to a free 3:30 p.m. jazz clinic Hendelman will give at Hinton Music Hall.   

The educational component of the day features adjudicated performances by 13 groups, including local jazz ensembles, bands from Indiana and Michigan, MTSU combos from 9 a.m. to noon, Jazz Ensemble II, directed by Don Aliquo at 1 p.m., and a special 2:15 p.m. performance and Q&A by the jazz faculty called “The Art of Small Group Jazz Performance.”   

Groups will receive comments and ratings from faculty members and Nashville area pros to help sharpen skills and train the next generation of jazz artists. All daytime performances are free and open to the public. 

A searchable campus parking map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap.  

About Tamir Hendelman

Hendelman has earned a reputation as a brilliant performer, bandleader and teaching artist. He has played with a list of jazz luminaries, including Harry Allen, Teddy Edwards, and John Clayton. 

He has appeared with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra since 2001, backing Dianna Krall, Gladys Knight and John Pizzarelli and premiering John Clayton’s arrangement of Oscar Peterson’s “Canadiana Suite.” 

Beginning his keyboard studies at 6 years old in Tel Aviv, he moved to the United States when he was 12. After time at the Tanglewood Institute and the Eastman School of Music, he moved to Los Angeles, California, and has remained in steady demand as a pianist, arranger, and lecturer at the UCLA Herb Albert School of Music. 

Hendelman’s MTSU appearance is made possible by a grant from the MTSU Distinguished Lecture Fund. 

About the MTSU Illinois Jacquet Jazz Fest 

The late jazz tenor saxophonist Jean-Baptiste “Illinois” Jacquet, shown here at a 1998 concert at Brecon, Wales, is the focus at MTSU’s 2023 Illinois Jacquet Jazz Festival, set Saturday, April 1. The annual event for area high school musicians features concerts, clinics and workshops led by MTSU School of Music faculty members and special guests, joined by students in MTSU’s Jazz Studies Program. This year's special guest is jazz drummer and educator Adam Nussbaum. (photo by William Ellis) — The late jazz tenor saxophonist Jean-Baptiste “Illinois” Jacquet, shown here at a 1998 concert at Brecon, Wales, is the focus at MTSU’s 2023 Illinois Jacquet Jazz Festival, set Saturday, April 1. The annual event for area high school musicians features concerts, clinics and workshops led by MTSU School of Music faculty members and special guests, joined by students in MTSU’s Jazz Studies Program. This year’s special guest is jazz drummer and educator Adam Nussbaum. (photo by William Ellis)

Dedicated to the memory of tenor saxophonist Illinois Jacquet (pronounced Jaq-KET), the festival seeks to educate, inspire and entertain audiences in the Middle Tennessee area. For a complete schedule of concerts and clinics, see  https://mtsu.edu/music/jazzfest.php. 

To learn more about the Illinois Jacquet Foundation, go to  https://illinoisjacquetfoundation.org/. 

For more information about the MTSU Jazz Illinois Jacquet Jazz Festival, please visit  https://mtsu.edu/music/jazzfest.php.  

For more information on this and other concerts in the MTSU School of Music, visit the “Events Calendar” link at mtsumusic.com.    

— DeAnn Hays (deann.hays@mtsu.edu)   