Talbert Jazz Orchestra to perform

For two local jazz musicians and instructors, Sunday’s performance of the music of Thomas Talbert isn’t just about revitalizing the composer’s work and sharing it with new audiences.

It’s about creating a broader understanding and appreciation of jazz, and creating new opportunities for young musicians to learn and perform it.

On Sunday, the Talbert Jazz Orchestra will perform Talbert’s Louisiana Suite for the first time in nearly a decade at Somsen Auditorium on the Winona State University campus. The orchestra will include several original members of the group. The event will be hosted by Leigh Kamman, an internationally known jazz talk-show personality and disc jockey who hosted “The Jazz Image” on public radio for more than 30 years.

A friend and former bandmate of Talbert’s, Richard Hammergren, is presenting the concert in memory of his friend’s desire “to put music in the hands of students.”

Hammergren played with Talbert in his jazz orchestra from 1959 to 1962. Talbert,  a jazz pianist and composer born in Crystal Bay, Minn., wrote music described as a fresh, eclectic mix of classic and symphonic jazz. He lived in Los Angeles for a time, where he wrote music for television. He died in 2005.

Hammergren played the Louisiana Suite with Talbert in 1962 when it debuted, and in 1974 the symphony gave Talbert the music as a gift.

Since then, the music has not often been touched.

Read more: http://www.winonadailynews.com/news/local/cb629e6a-b351-11e0-b608-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1SrTwmCXJ