Annual ABAC Jazz Festival scheduled for April 18

TIFTON – The annual Jazz Festival at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College is scheduled for April 18.

High school bands from across the state will gather to perform mini-concerts on ABAC’s campus from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The community is invited to attend at no charge.

Sponsored by the Department of Fine Arts and the ABAC Arts Connection, the festival promotes jazz and jazz education in South Georgia. The bands will perform in The Meadows in the center of the ABAC campus. 

The entertainment will continue into the evening when the ABAC Jazz Ensemble performs along with The Jim Gasior Trio in a concert beginning at 7 p.m. in Howard Auditorium.

Gasior is the Associate Professor of Jazz and Instrumental Studies at the New World School of the Arts in Miami. As a pianist and keyboardist, he has performed and/or recorded with international pop artists and groups such as Ricky Martin, Kelly Clarkson, Alih Jey, and Chayanne as well as jazz artists like Benny Golson, Slide Hampton, Freddie Hubbard, and others.

The Jazz Ensemble performs a broad range of music encompassing styles such as swing, bebop, Afro-Cuban, bossa nova, fusion, and more. The group has done three European tours, performed for the opening of the Olympic Games, jazz festivals, and two World’s Fairs.