News & Events

Radiohead Gets Jazz Treatment at UNC Asheville as Part of International Musical Collaboration

October 14, 2011

UNC Asheville’s Jazz Big Band will perform five pieces by Radiohead, and the Studio 18 Vocal Jazz Ensemble will sing a mix of jazz, pop, and Broadway tunes, in a joint concert at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, in Lipinsky Auditorium on the campus.

UNC Asheville is one of several American campuses featuring Radiohead music and there are also special concerts in Germany this fall as part of the “Radiohead Jazz Project.” These concerts feature arrangements by an international team of jazz artists commissioned by project co-sponsors, the Frankfurt Radio Big Band and the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music.

William Bares, assistant professor of Music and bandleader, says the UNC Asheville Jazz Big Band chose the Radiohead tunes by popular vote. “These are pieces we feel a strong connection to,” said Bares, noting that Radiohead addresses political, environmental and cultural concerns shared by students. Says Bares: “We hope you will find our music moody, technologically intriguing, thought-provoking, and, above all, rocking!”

The concert will open with vocal music by UNC Asheville’s Studio 18 Vocal Jazz Ensemble, including the swing hit, “Hit Me with a Hot Note,” “Blue Skies,” and music from “Rent.” The ensemble, which features some of UNC Asheville’s best jazz vocalists, is directed by assistant professor Melodie Galloway.

Tickets are $5, with students and children free.