The Sheldon Art Association, in collaboration with the Lied Center for Performing Arts and the Glenn Korff School of Music, will bring New Orleans jazz to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for the 24th season of Jazz in June.
The 2015 concert series features performances by the Rad Trads, Swing Fever, UNL Faculty Jazz Ensemble, Grand Marquis and the Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet.
Concerts are at 7 p.m. each Tuesday in June in the sculpture garden west of the Sheldon Museum of Art, 12th and R streets. The concert series is free, but attendees are encouraged to make a donation of $10 per family to help ensure its continuation.
Concertgoers are allowed to bring lawn chairs or blankets. Pets are not allowed.
For the first time, tickets may be purchased for a reserved space in the section in front of the band. Each ticket includes a guaranteed space for one lawn chair, a beverage and sandwich, and an opportunity to meet that week's performers. Those wishing to purchase tickets for all five concerts will receive a 20 percent discount. Tickets are available at http://www.liedcenter.org, by calling 402-472-4747 or at the Lied Center ticket office, 301 N. 12th St., which is open from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays.
A market featuring vendors with food, drinks and artisan-made crafts begins at 5 p.m. each Tuesday at 12th and R streets.
UNL BikeValet offers free, secure parking for bicycles from 5 p.m. until an hour after each concert at the east end of the market. For more information, visit http://bike.unl.edu/jazzinjune or call the UNL Outdoor Adventures Center at 402-472-4777.
Representatives of UNL Landscape Services, Lincoln Parks and Recreation and Sheldon Museum of Art offer walking tours of campus gardens at 6 p.m. each Tuesday in June. Tour groups assemble at Sheldon's east entrance.
In the event of inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances, a Jazz in June concert may need to be canceled. Information on cancelations will be posted to http://www.unl.edu and http://www.sheldonartmuseum.org.
The 2015 Jazz in June schedule:
• June 2, The Rad Trads: Featuring four powerful horns, a driving rhythm section and three lead vocalists, the Rad Trads perform a diverse style of soulful American music influenced by early jazz, New Orleans brass, Chicago and Delta blues, rock 'n' roll and funk. Garden tour: Mark Canney, park planner with Lincoln Parks and Recreation, will discuss the design relationships between the plants, trees, shrubs and buildings along the 12th Street mall leading to Memorial Stadium.
• June 9, Swing Fever: Featuring Lincoln residents Gene Davis, Jerry Renaud, Eric Toombs and Pance Zaev, Swing Fever will take the audience on a musical journey to New Orleans via traditional and modern sounds of the Crescent City. Garden tour: Ann Powers, landscape assistant with UNL Landscape Services, will lead a tour through Love Garden and discuss its perennials, new additions and maintenance.
• June 16, UNL Faculty Jazz Ensemble: The UNL Faculty Jazz Ensemble presents a varied and exciting program including original works and distinctive arrangements of jazz and popular standards. The group consists of Dave Hall, Paul Haar, Hans Sturm, Eric Richards, Peter Bouffard, Darryl White and Tom Larson. Garden tour: Kay Logan-Peters, an art and architecture librarian, will lead an architectural tour of historic buildings of UNL's original campus.
• June 23, Grand Marquis: This band injects a contemporary relevance into jazz, blues and swing, drawing inspiration from Prohibition-era Kansas City, 1930s Paris, 1950s Memphis and the streets of New Orleans. Garden tour: Sharon Kennedy, Sheldon's director of education; Erin Poor, assistant curator of education; and Genevieve Ellerbee, associate registrar, offer a tour of newly installed and recently conserved works in the museum's sculpture garden.
• June 30, Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet: Composer and performer Jason Marsalis, a member of New Orleans' venerable first family of jazz, is the son of pianist and music educator Ellis Marsalis and his wife, Dolores, and the youngest sibling of Wynton, Branford and Delfeayo. Marsalis, known for his collaborative creativity, will perform original compositions influenced by traditional elements and the unique talents of each member of the quartet. Garden tour: Eileen Bergt, assistant director of UNL Landscape Services, will discuss new perennials, shrubs and water plants in Sheldon's sculpture garden and the landscape design of the Lied plaza.
— Ann Gradwohl, Sheldon Museum of Art