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The Legacy of Duke Ellington
A Robert Ingram Strozier Faculty Lecture Series Event
Savannah,
GA—March 18, 2005—The 2005-2006 Robert Ingram Strozier Faculty
Lecture Series at Armstrong Atlantic State University (AASU) will conclude
with a special ArmstrongFest celebratory address. Randall Reese, a member
of the music faculty, will pay tribute to the life and work of jazz icon
Duke Ellington with his presentation, The Legacy of Duke Ellington, on
Friday, April 1, at 11:15 a.m. in AASU's Fine Arts Hall, room 132.
The most influential creative force in twentieth-century popular music,
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington composed a substantial portion
of the American popular song catalog, but also left an important body
of sacred art and music that expanded the concept of jazz. In the midst
of this creative output, he found time to lead a touring orchestra with
the most distinctive soloists in jazz. Producing hundreds of recordings,
Ellington became an articulate international spokesman for African-American
music. Reese will explore Ellington’s impact as composer, performer,
bandleader, and mentor.
Reese, an associate professor of music, directs the university’s
jazz ensemble and teaches courses in orchestration and arranging, counterpoint,
saxophone, and jazz improvisation. He holds a doctor of musical arts degree
from the University of South Carolina, a master of music degree from the
University of Michigan, and a bachelor of music degree from the Baldwin
Wallace College Conservatory of Music.
A member of the Coastal Jazz Association and co-leader (and co-founder)
of the Savannah Jazz Orchestra, Reese has performed with Diane Schuur,
Anita O'Day, Clark Terry, Cab Calloway, Claudio Roditi, Nick Brignola,
Joey DeFrancesco, and many more. He has written arrangements for the Cincinnati
and Savannah symphony orchestras as well as the Hilton Head Orchestra,
including an orchestral tribute to Savannah lyricist Johnny Mercer. The
Wynton Marsalis Septet and the Augusta (Georgia) Ballet Company performed
his transcription of three Raymond Scott compositions.
In 1992, saxophonist Bob Berg and the Savannah Symphony premiered his
Nautical Songs for saxophone, jazz trio, and orchestra. Reese studied
saxophone with Larry Teal, Galan Kral and Sigurd Rascher.
Admission to The Legacy of Duke Ellington is free and open to the public.
For more information, call 927.5381, weekdays, between the hours of 11
a.m. and 3 p.m.
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