The Studio Jazz Ensemble and Latin Jazz Ensemble are part of the program offerings of the CSUN Jazz Studies Program and will be performing on Thursday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall located in Cypress Hall.

All ensembles perform regularly scheduled CSU Northridge Campus concerts.

The Studio Jazz Ensemble is the second of three Jazz Ensembles, also called Big Bands, of the CSUN Jazz Studies program.

“This ensemble appears in local and regional jazz festivals and earned unanimous superior ratings and placed among the top five collegiate jazz bands at the 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 Reno Jazz Festival (in) Reno, Nevada,” said Gary Pratt, Jazz Studies professor and one of the directors for the performance.

The concert will feature works by jazz composers Thad Jones, Maria Schneider, Sherrise Rogers, Count Basie and others, Pratt said.

The other two Jazz ensembles include Jazz “A” Band and Jazz Lab Big Band. The Studio Jazz Ensemble is primary training for CSUN’s “A” Jazz Band.

“Incidentally, our Jazz ‘A’ Band and two of our jazz combos just returned from competing in the Monterey Next Generation Festival where our combos took first and third place in the open combo division, and our Jazz ‘A’ Band won first place big band in the collegiate big band division,” Pratt said.

Pratt describes the Latin Jazz Band as a high-energy performance ensemble focusing exclusively on the music of Brazil, Puerto Rico and Cuba, offering students the opportunity to delve into the performance practices and traditions of the music.

Some of the featured performers of the Latin Jazz Ensemble include works by Eddie Palmieri, Ray Barretto, Rebeca Mauleon, Pratt said.

Senior Jimmy Delgado,26, a communications studies major said he has been a jazz fan for as long and he can remember.

“CSUN has probably the best jazz program in the nation and I think it’s important to show them support,” said Delgado.

“If I weren’t a communications studies major I would definitely be part of the Jazz program but since I’m not, I’m still here to support it and watch as many as their performances as I can,” he said. “I think it’s cool that students have the opportunity to perform and be watched. I admire their talent.”

Delgado said he will be attending the performance with his two favorite women, his mother and his girlfriend

Pratt said he want students to know that all of our jazz ensembles are available for audition on the very first day of classes. Interested students can contact him directly at .gary.pratt@csun.edu.