Traditional Jazz: A Historical Perspective of Jazz

Held at 2pm at the Geneseo Public Library on June 25th

John Cooper is a jazz artist and composer.  He was a professor of music at Western Illinois University with a master’s degree in music composition from Bowling Green State University and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Music Composition from New York University.
  
Cooper has performed as principal trumpet with the Marquette Symphony Orchestra and has his own jazz quartet.  He is also a composer, releasing his first solo recording, “Watching for Watchung Plaza;” which received critical acclaim from the Detroit Free Press. He has dedicated much of his time and talents to the WIU Performing Arts Society by writing and composing shows for the Youth Performing Arts Series. 
   
This presentation will engage listeners through playing pieces common to the New Orleans era of jazz.  He will also describe the role of each instrument in the ensemble. A demonstration of the various techniques used by the different instruments played in jazz will be given.

The audience is encouraged to ask questions of any of the musicians during the lecture portion of the performance. 
 
Come join us for a 45-minute presentation in which you will hear jazz music interspersed with a brief history of jazz and techniques used by the various instruments. Even if you don’t like jazz, you may enjoy this program.

This event is made possible through a grant from the Illinois Humanities Council, a state agency. Illinois Humanities is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Illinois General Assembly, through the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, as well as by contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations.