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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (January 15, 2004) — The 22-piece Milligan Jazz Ensemble, led by local jazz sensation Rick Simerly, will open the 12th annual “All That Jazz Weekend” at the Grove Park Inn and Resort in Asheville, N.C., on Friday, Jan. 30, at 8:30 p.m.
The ensemble will be the opening act for one of the legendary fathers of jazz, Ellis Marsalis and his quartet. Also featured for the weekend event is three-time Grammy Award winner Lou Rawls, who will perform classic songs of Frank Sinatra.
“This is quite an honor to be asked to open for Ellis Marsalis. It will be an enjoyable and unforgettable experience for the ensemble,” said Rick Simerly, director of the Milligan Jazz Ensemble and associate professor of music at Milligan College.
The ensemble has performed in several concerts throughout the region and is comprised of Milligan College students, local high school students, ETSU students and local performers. The ensemble will feature Elizabethton vocalist Loretta Bowers, former vocalist with the Broadway musical “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” on a medley of gospel songs and spirituals.
Simerly has performed for the “All That Jazz Weekend” for the past four years. In addition to the Friday night concert, he will perform throughout the day on Saturday.
Simerly, who oversees Milligan’s jazz studies emphasis, has gained national exposure over the years performing with well-recognized jazz musicians such as Billy Taylor, James Moody, Rufus Reid, Jon Faddis, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Milt Hinton, Bobby Shew, Dave McKenna, Slide Hampton, Plas Johnson, Jake Hanna and Tommy Newsom. He has also toured with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and played in the bands of Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman and Nelson Riddle. Simerly has released two jazz CDs.
Tickets for “All That Jazz Weekend” are $32 and can be purchased online atwww.groveparkinn.com or by calling 800-869-1790. Weekend packages are sold out but individual tickets may still be purchased. For more information, please contact Simerly at 423-461-8939.