Sixth Annual Stan Wheeler Memorial Jazz Concert to Take Place on April 7

In tribute to a beloved professor and jazz musician, the sixth annual Stan Wheeler Memorial Jazz Concert will take place on April 7 at Yale Law School. The concert honors the late Yale Law School Professor Stan Wheeler, who passed away in 2007.

This year’s concert will begin at 2:00 pm in Yale Law School’s Levinson Auditorium, located at 127 Wall Street. Presented by the dean and faculty of Yale Law School and Yale University Bands, the 2013 concert will feature the Yale Jazz Ensemble, directed by Thomas C. Duffy, and the Reunion Jazz Ensemble.

Reunion is a group of Yale Jazz Ensemble alumni who, along with late professor and trumpeter Stanton Wheeler, were early members of the YJE in the 1970s. Professor Wheeler continued to play with the Yale Jazz Ensemble until his death in 2007, and this is the sixth annual concert dedicated to his memory. Reunion members include well-known jazz artists Brad Dechter (alto sax), Paul Lieberman (tenor sax and flute), Tim Moran (bari sax), Steve Perrett (trumpet), Tony Lombardozzi (guitar), Jeff Fuller (bass), Paul Sullivan (piano) and Frank Bennett (drums).

The YJE portion of the program will feature various arrangements of Cole Porter’s most famous compositions – including “Easy to Love,” “Night and Day,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” and more. Guest appearances by Yale student vocalists Emma Akrawi, Rebecca Brudner, and Ruthie Prillaman.

The Yale Jazz Ensemble (YJE) is a seventeen-piece big band that performs a wide variety of music, from Yale’s Benny Goodman archive to the newest and most progressive jazz compositions. The Ensemble has performed extensively in the United States and internationally at such noted venues as New York’s Village Vanguard and Iridium jazz clubs, and London’s Ronnie Scott’s. The YJE has performed with or opened for The Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, the Toshiko Akiyoshi/Lew Tabackin Big Band, the World Saxophone Quartet, Jane Ira Bloom, Jimmy Owens, and Branford Marsalis.

Admission is free and no tickets are required. The Yale Bands info line is (203)432-4113, or visit www.yale.edu/yaleband for more information.