Jazz All-Stars To Shine In "Jazz On Avenue"

Jazz on the Avenue, co-presented by the Jazz Arts Group and the King Arts Complex, continues its season of small group jazz concerts with "Byron Stripling and the Columbus Jazz All-Stars" featuring Byron Stripling, Bobby Floyd, Bob Breithaupt, Pete Mills and Chris Berg on Saturday, January 27 at 8:00pm at the King Arts Complex Theatre, 867 Mount Vernon Avenue.

Jazz on the Avenue is the only place to catch a glimpse of the Columbus Jazz All-Stars in action. International trumpet star Byron Stripling's fearsome group of all-star talents assemble for a night of classic, cool, straight-ahead jazz.

Jazz on the Avenue, formerly known as the Firehouse Jazz series, is co-presented by the Jazz Arts Group and the King Arts Complex, and presents a mixture of the finest local and national jazz musicians in small ensembles, offering an intimate experience for concertgoers. The new name ties the series to its location at the King Arts Complex Theatre on Mount Vernon Avenue - once called "The Avenue" - and to the history of jazz in Columbus, when jazz clubs dotted the city's Near Eastside from the 1920s through the '60s.

Single tickets ($25/$15 for KAC members) are available for purchase from the Jazz Arts Group online at www.jazzartsgroup.org or by phone at 614.294.5200. Single tickets are also available through the King Arts Complex (614.645.0642) or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Student Rush $10 tickets (valid college ID required) and Be-Bop Balcony $5 tickets (ages 6-18) are available at the door.

The Jazz on the Avenue series continues February 24, 2007 with "Textural Rhythms" starring Kathy Wade and her quartet.

CJO Artistic Director and trumpet virtuoso Byron Stripling has ignited audiences internationally as a soloist, and has become a pops orchestra favorite throughout the country, soloing with Boston Pops, Cincinnati Pops, Seattle Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Utah Symphony, and the American Jazz Philharmonic, to name a few. He has been a featured soloist at the Hollywood Bowl and performs at jazz festivals throughout the world.

Stripling earned his stripes as lead trumpeter and soloist with the Count Basie Orchestra, under the direction of Thad Jones and Frank Foster. He has also played and recorded extensively with the bands of Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Lionel Hampton, Clark Terry, Louis Bellson, and Buck Clayton, in addition to The Lincoln Center Classical Jazz Orchestra, The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, and The GRP All-Star Big Band.

More about The All-Stars

Bobby Floyd has performed extensively in the U. S., Canada, Europe, and Japan, with such jazz notables as Ray Charles, Jeff Tyzik, Chris Howes, Dionne Warwick, Doc Severinsen, and others. In his hometown of Columbus, he has appeared with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and ProMusica Chamber Orchestra. Floyd has completed three solo recordings, and has been a featured guest on five others.

Drummer Bob Breithaupt is a native of Marion, Ohio. Breithaupt performs thoughout the country with a variety of artists and is in demand as an instructor and clinician. In 1978 he joined the faculty at Capital University, where he is now a Professor of Music and Department Chair of Jazz Studies and Music Industry, directing one of the top percussion programs in the nation. Breithaupt
has been performing with the CJO since 1980, and in 2001, became Executive Director of the Jazz Arts Group.

A native of Toronto Canada and currently residing in Columbus, saxophonist Pete Mills performs regularly with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra. He has also performed at several jazz clubs and festivals throughout the U.S. and Canada. Mills has taught at the The Ohio University, Kenyon College and East Carolina University. Currently, he is a saxophone professor and jazz ensemble director at Denison University.

Bassist Chris Berg performs with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, and has performed as a band member at club, concert, festival, radio, and television appearances with artists including Susanna McKorkle, Barry Harris, John Pizzarelli, Marty Grosz, Mel Lewis, Eddie Daniels and The Widespread Depression Orchestra, among others. Currently, he is Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at Central State University, Wilberforce, OH, and instructor of Jazz Bass at the Conservatory College of Music, University of Cincinnati. -- www.jazzartsgroup.org