We welcome you to join us for an evening of jazz featuring small combos and large ensembles from Cleveland State University! The bands will perform original arrangements as well as plenty of jazz standards.

The bands are led under the direction of:

Chris Vance: Chris is equally versed in many realms of Music. He has been the featured soloist on some of the most demanding classical repertoire and has served as Principal Bass of the Bermuda Symphony as well as the Buffalo Opera Company Orchestra. His current projects include guitar work in The Killerwatt Hours, bass work in The Syncopated Sin Swing Band, Third Stream, a duo with Bobby Ferrazza as well as various pick-up gigs. He has served as a substitute player for The Buffalo Philharmonic, The Akron Symphony, The Erie Symphony as well as local groups 15 60 75 (The Numbers Band), Blue Lunch & Steev Inglish (aka "Mr. Downchild") and national acts Michael Civisca, Mark Gridley, and Abdou Mboup (Paul Simon, Jean Luc-Ponty) just to name a few. Mr. Vance has recently played with Mike Clark & Jeff Berlin, filled in with Bobby Rydell ('Volare'), and has led a trio that opened for Joey DeFrancesco. He is featured on recordings by Kassaba & The Syncopated Sin Swing Band.

Joe Miller: From Jazz to R&B to Broadway to Rock to Hip Hop, Joe is one of the most sought-after trumpet players in the area. Trained in classical music as well as Jazz, he has toured and performed extensively with international, regional and local artists. Mr. Miller was a member of the Grammy-nominated Acid/Groove/Jazz group, Liquid Soul, playing with internationally known DJs, including DJ Logic. His recording credits are many and varied, including Kenny Anderson and the late Gerald Levert. Joe toured with Bobby Caldwell and has played lead and solo trumpet for Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett, Frankie Valli, The Funk Brothers and many others and has been a featured soloist at the TriC JazzFest and with The Contemporary Youth Orchestra. A Cleveland State University alum and former student of Charles Couch and Kenny Davis, Joe currently holds the lead trumpet chair at Playhouse Square and is a featured soloist with the Bill Ransom Quintet and “Jazz Meets Hip Hop,” and performs with Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, Paul Ferguson’s Jazz Orchestra.

Alfredo Guerrieri: One of the most versatile and sought after bassists in the Cleveland area, Alfredo earned degrees from Musician’s Institute, Berklee College of Music, and Cleveland State University. He has recorded and performed with Tony Award nominee Mary Bridget Davies and Grammy Award winner Heather Headley. He also performed and recorded with national recording artists Tony Pullizzi, Joe McBride, Dan Wilson, Keith McKelley, and The Speedbumps. Alfredo has also performed many theater productions at Playhouse Square and Baldwin Wallace College such as Five Guys Named Moe, Freaky Friday, and Anything Goes. Current groups he is working with include Becky Boyd & Groove Train, Sunshine Daydream, and Revival. Alfredo also teaches at Cleveland State University and The Music Settlement, and is endorsed by S.I.T. Strings.

$5 suggested donation