49th Phi Mu Alpha Jazz Festival

Truman State University Department of Music is pleased to announce the 49th Phi Mu Alpha Jazz Festival on Saturday, February 25, 2017 in the Student Union Building Georgian Room on the campus of Truman State University. The festival will begin at 9:00 a.m. with various performances and sessions throughout the day, culminating in the Jazz Festival Evening Concert at 8:00 p.m.

Since the chapter was founded in 1968, Upsilon Phi has hosted an annual event celebrating jazz at Truman State University. Having been been ranked one of the top collegiate jazz festivals by Down Beat magazine, the Phi Mu Alpha Jazz Festival has become one of the larger events of its kind, attracting high school and middle school bands throughout the Midwest.

Traditionally held the last weekend in February, “JazzFest” brings in nationally renowned artists every year. It includes a day of performances by high school and middle school jazz combos and big bands with a personalized clinic for each group. Our guest artist, Carl Allen, will also present a clinic and perform with Truman jazz groups on an evening concert.

With over 200 recordings to his credit, the gifted Milwaukee-born, New York-based drummer, sideman, bandleader, entrepreneur, and educator, Carl Allen’s profound and propulsive percolations provided soulful and syncopated support for nearly three decades. Carl Allen’s multifaceted career provides the perfect template for what a modern musician should be. As Sid Gribetz of Jazz Times wrote, “more than just another fine drummer, Carl Allen has it all together as a bandleader, businessman, and producer, becoming a force in today’s jazz world.”

The men of Upsilon Phi take great pride in all the hard work required successfully put on such a large-scale festival every year. Not only does JazzFest support a rich American art form, it also helps educate aspiring young musicians.

jazzfest49 500 x 50093