Lincoln Center Orchestra and UNC team up to jazz up campus

Carolina Performing Arts is bringing 15 of today’s most prominent jazz musicians to campus on Sunday.

Led by trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra is considered one of the most influential groups that Carolina Performing Arts has brought to campus this year, according to CPA’s website.

This is the eighth time that CPA and UNC have hosted the group.

Marnie Karmelita, director of artistic relations at CPA, said the organization has a deep relationship with the orchestra and is thrilled to welcome them back each year.

“They’re at the top of their game,” Karmelita said.

“We try to bring artists and musicians who are at the peak of their practice because it’s not just to experience their artistry — they are so fun to listen to, so it’s also about entertainment and enjoying a live musical experience such as this one.”

The group, founded by Marsalis in 1988, focuses on music by iconic jazz musicians like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie.

The members of the orchestra are lauded as some of the most talented at their instruments — but the real brilliance happens when these musicians come together.

“The JALC Orchestra is a remarkable ensemble comprised of brilliantly distinctive soloists who have been together long enough to have become a uniquely voiced ensemble,” said Jim Ketch, a jazz studies professor at UNC.

Ketch said he has heard the group play about a dozen times and has even had the opportunity to work with a few of its musicians professionally.

Brian Braytenbah, one of Ketch’s students, said he has seen the group perform before but is still excited to hear them play again.

“They’re a big deal, especially because of the sound they produce,” Braytenbah said. “It’s a one-of-a-kind sound that differs even from other big bands.”

Braytenbah said he is most excited to hear Joe Temperley, a fellow baritone saxophone player who, at age 84, is one of the original members of the 1988 band.

“He has such a unique sound and such a strong stage presence,” Braytenbah said.

“He’s one of the heart and souls of the band.”

Ketch said he will host a lecture before Sunday’s show on the basics of listening to and enjoying jazz music.

Ketch said the orchestra provides a much-needed opportunity for Americans to embrace refined culture.

“While we may appreciate an 18-year-old belting out a pop song on American Idol, it is nice to have the opportunity to listen to 15 mature musicians who have devoted a lifetime to studying and refining their craft,” Ketch said.

“It’s a way to perhaps remind ourselves of how intellect, experience, community and depth of artistic understanding truly define excellence.”

Contact the desk editor at arts@dailytarheel.com.