Small combos perform original music and arrangements of jazz standards, modern classics, and deep cuts from the popular music repertoire over two consecutive nights of performance.
Program
Vu Tang Clan
Cuong Vu - advisor
Barbados: Charlie Parker
I Remember Clifford: Benny Golson
Alice In Wonderland: Sammy Fain
500 Miles High: Chick Corea
Well You Needn’t: Thelonious Monk
Lily “swing/groove meister, spiritual group leader“ Dropkin, Drums; Cole “the professor/architect, rules setter, and part-time planner/consultant” McKittrick, Guitar; Riley “the TRUTH - Keepin’ in Real” Tobin, Bass; Sebastian d’Almada “Free Spirit” Remedios, Alto Sax; Natalie “Painter/Sculptor/Co-Planner” Song, Piano
The Mowers
Steve Rodby - advisor
Bolivia: Cedar Walton
Levity: Andrew Friedrich
Tones For Joan’s Bones: Chick Corea
Lawns: Carla Bley
The Intrepid Fox: Freddie Hubbard
Andrew Friedrich, Guitar; Owen Gwinn, Tenor Sax; Noah Brown, Piano; Beau Wood, Bass; Toby Miller, Drums
Biographies: Faculty Advisors
Cuong Vu is widely recognized by jazz critics as a leader of a generation of innovative musicians. A truly unique musical voice, Cuong has lent his trumpet playing to a wide range of artists such as Pat Metheny, Laurie Anderson, and David Bowie.
As a youngster, Cuong's intense dedication and love for music led him to a full scholarship at the New England Conservatory of Music where he received his Bachelor of Music in Jazz studies with a distinction in performance. Transitioning from his studies in Boston, he moved to New York in 1994 and began his career actively leading various groups while touring extensively throughout the world. As a leader, Cuong has released eight recordings, each making critics’ lists of the 10 best recordings of their respective years and has received rave reviews from notable publications such as the New York Times, The New Yorker, Harper’s, the Guardian, BBC Music Magazine, JazzTimes and Downbeat. Each record displays how he has carved out a distinctive sonic territory as a trumpet player, blurring all stylistic borders while developing his own compositional aesthetic and sound world.
Awards and honors that Cuong has garnered include grants from the Royalty Research Foundation, the Donald E. Petersen Professorship, ArtistTrust, 4Culture, CityArts and the Colbert Award for Excellence. Cuong is currently associate professor and chair of Jazz Studies at the University of Washington and was awarded the University of Washington's prestigious Distinguished Teacher Award in his third year on faculty. In 2002 and 2006, Cuong was a recipient of the Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album as a member of the Pat Metheny Group. He’s been recognized as one of the top 50 Jazz Artists in an article called “The New Masters” from the British magazine, “Classic CD” and in 2006 was named the Best International Jazz Artist by the Italian Jazz Critics’ Society. Amazon listed Vu’s “Come Play With Me” on their “The 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time.”
