The US Army Blues with Gettysburg College Jazz Ensemble

TICKET PRICES
FREE

Friday, February 22, 2019 / 08:00 pm

The U.S. Army Blues, part of the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” is the premier jazz ensemble of the United States Army. After informal beginnings in 1970, this 18-piece ensemble became an official element of the Army Band in 1972. Comprised of exceptional jazz musicians from across the nation, the Army Blues strive to fulfill their mission through public concerts, educational outreach, and the preservation of the tradition of America’s unique art form: jazz.

The Army Blues have performed at prestigious venues such as the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival, the famous Birdland jazz club in New York City, and the legendary jazz club Blues Alley club in Washington, DC. The band has shared the stage with jazz greats such as Dave Brubeck, Doc Severinsen, Stanley Turrentine, Slide Hampton, Dr. Billy Taylor, Kevin Mahogany, and Terell Stafford. The Army Blues give frequent performances at national conferences such as the Jazz Education Network annual conference, the International Trumpet Guild conference, the International Trombone Conference, and the Music Educators National Conference. The musicians of the Army Blues perform regularly at the White House, the Vice President’s Residence, the State Department, and for high-level military protocol and ceremonial events in the Washington Metropolitan Area.

The Jazz Ensemble, led by Paul Carr, is a popular ensemble for students across campus. 16-19 students are selected by audition to study myriad styles of jazz encompassing swing, Latin, fusion, bop, and the American Songbook. The band toured Europe in 1993, 1997, 2002, 2008, and 2015 with performances at Istanbul, Perugia, and in towns on the French Riviera. On previous tours the ensemble performed in Montreux, Vienné, Amsterdam, Paris, Bruges, Heidelberg, Athens, and Venice. The GCJE has opened for Ray Brown and Phil Woods and performed with world renowned soloists Paquito D'Rivera, Boston Brass, Denis DiBlasio, Lew Soloff, Graham Breedlove, and Chris Brubeck. The ensemble was honored to perform at the 2011 MENC Eastern Division Conference in Baltimore. This is the first music ensemble in the history of Gettysburg College to be afforded this opportunity.

This concert is free.