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On April 13, 2010, the UCF Jazz Ensemble, comprised of freshmen, sophomores, and a few juniors in the emerging Jazz Studies program, recorded seven pieces with director Jeff Rupert.
The resulting collaboration, includes not only classics but also new works such as “Bad Moon” and the title track written specifically for the UCF Jazz Ensemble.
Jazz singer Vance Villastrigo joins the band on the jazz standard, “The Eternal Triangle”, arranged by Cliff Pecota and on the soul classic, “Me and Mrs. Jones”, arranged specifically for this collaboration.
Repertory works include the Fletcher Henderson arrangement of “Bugle Call Rag”, featuring several student soloists along with Allan Vaché on clarinet, whose contribution is exciting and flawless.
Thomas Potter (UCF voice faculty) joins the UCF band and Villastrigo for a remake of the James Brown classic, “It’s a Man’s World”, inspired by the James Brown/Luciano Pavarotti collaboration. “Lush Life” and “Spring Can Really Hang you Up the Most” are live performances by the UCF Jazz Professors at the internationally-acclaimed UCF Orlando Jazz Festival.
Jazz Town was professionally recorded, mixed and mastered in Orlando at Starke Lake Studios by Kendall S. Thomsen. The album is distributed by UCF Music’s new label Flying Horse Records. Packaging design and marketing materials were produced by UCF Senior Art Specialist Matthew Dunn.
Thomas Potter is an associate professor in the Department of Music
Jeff M Rupert is a professor in the Department of Music, and the program director of the Department of Music Jazz