In the festive mood: Holiday Jazz showcases UAH Department of Music, Theatre, Film

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Department of Music, Theatre and Film will present Holiday Jazz on Friday, Dec. 8, at 6 p.m. at the UAH Student Services Building. Tickets are $35 each and are available online.

“We want to showcase the many ways music, theater and film collaborate together,” says Dr. Joshua Burel, department chair and associate professor of music theory and composition at UAH, a part of the University of Alabama System.

“Imagine a holiday night club,” says David Harwell, UAH Theatre director and professor. “It will be a warm festive event with nosh and libations in a casually elegant spot on campus where friends can gather after a hectic workweek and enjoy some great music. We are proud to share our love of jazz and holidays and family.”

Holiday Jazz will feature the UAH Faculty Jazz Combo with the vocal stylings of Karen Young plus trumpeters Devin Underwood and Ken Watters, saxophonist Steve Motz, trombonist Billy Bargetzi, pianists Keith Taylor and John Miller, drummer Tom Branch, guitarist Josh Couts and bassist Nick Walker. They’ll present favorite holiday melodies in fun arrangements by Taylor and Couts.

Trumpeter Conor Gilbert, trombonist Hector Herrejon, pianist Preston Jackson and drummer Luke Mantooth, all UAH students, will join the Faculty Jazz Combo on stage in a showcase of their talents. Students will also be highlighted in their own set performing some of their holiday favorites.

A cocktail hour preceding the concert will feature holiday piano music by John Miller and students Preston Jackson, Elisabeth Johnson and Kathryn Hardgrave.