The jazz program at the U of A will launch a new signature concert series this month with a show entitled "The Blue Note Era" at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 18, at the U of A Black Box Theater, 2 E. Center St., Fayetteville. The concert will feature Music Department jazz faculty along with special guests to present music affiliated with the iconic Blue Note label, as well as the evolution of jazz from the 1940s to the 1970s.

"Launching this concert series is another milestone in the development of our new jazz program," said jazz area coordinator Jake Hertzog. "Jazz education has always worked to both elevate and honor the history of jazz, while also curating and sculpting the future of jazz, and the new concert series is one component of how we aim to contribute to both of those missions through highlighting our faculty, students and special guests."

The November concert will additionally feature a special Chick Corea tribute and an Arkansas premier of a work by new jazz studies professor Susumu Watanabe.

Launched in 2019, the U of A Department of Music now offers a new Bachelor of Music degree in performance with a jazz studies concentration. The program incorporates a broad view of contemporary jazz and includes a wide variety of ensembles ranging from jazz orchestras and combos to groups dedicated to Latin, World and popular music styles.

This coming spring semester, the jazz signature series will feature an event dedicated to Latin jazz produced by professor Fernando Valencia on March 12 and a special collaboration with NEA Jazz Master Dave Liebman on April 6.