2024 UARK Jazz Festival Hosts Series of Performances April 16-19

Courtesy of Angel "Papo" Vázquez

The U of A's guest artist for this year's festival is trombonist, composer and arranger Angel "Papo" Vázquez, who has spent 40-plus years in the world of Latin, Jazz and Afro-Caribbean music.

The 2024 UARK Jazz Festival kicks off a series of performances this week, running April 16-19, and features some of the region’s finest jazz and classical musicians and guest artists alike. 

The U of A Department of Music welcomes visitors to join the events, which are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. 

TUESDAY, APRIL 16

From 7:30-9 p.m. at the Faulkner Performing Arts Center 
Jake Hertzog’s “Anthropoesia: A Concerto for Jazz Guitar and Jazz Philharmonic”

The festival will present the world premiere of Hertzog’s “Anthropoesia: A Concerto for Jazz Guitar and Jazz Philharmonic,” performed by the newly formed Ozark Jazz Philharmonic under the direction of Maestro Susumu Watanabe. Conductor and director Watanabe was the featured artistic collaborator on the project and arranged and orchestrated the piece. He is also a faculty member in the U of A’s jazz program. The Ozark Jazz Philharmonic is a unique ensemble consisting of a full jazz orchestra with the addition of strings that combines some of the region’s finest jazz and classical musicians.

This project would not be possible without the support of Jazz Road, a national initiative of South Arts, which is funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation with additional support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17

From 4-5 p.m. in Epley Band Hall room 123 
Trombone Masterclass with Papo Vázquez 

From 7:30-9 p.m. at the Faulkner Performing Arts Center 
U of A Jazz Orchestra Concert featuring Papo Vazquez

The U of A’s guest artist for this year’s festival is Angel “Papo” Vázquez. Vázquez is a trombonist, composer and arranger and has spent 40-plus years in the world of Latin, Jazz and Afro-Caribbean music. He is a National Endowment for the Arts Master Artist and Grammy nominee. 

Vázquez was born in 1958 in Philadelphia, but spent his early years in Puerto Rico before returning to Philadelphia. By age 17, Vázquez moved to New York City. There, he became a key player in NYC’s burgeoning Latin jazz scene of the late 1970s. He recorded and performed with top artists in the salsa music scene like The Fania All-Stars, Ray Barretto, Willie Colón, Eddie Palmieri, Larry Harlow and Hector La Voe. 

Vázquez went on to perform and record with jazz luminaries Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra, Chico O’Farrill, Ray Charles, Slide Hampton’s World of Trombones, Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band, among many others.

THURSDAY, APRIL 18

From 7:30-9 p.m. in the Arkansas Union Theatre 
U of A Latin Ensemble Concert

Guests of the festival will have another opportunity to hear Papo once again as he takes the Union Theatre stage with the U of A Latin Ensemble directed by professor Fernando Valencia.

FRIDAY, APRIL 19

From 12:55-1:45 p.m. in the Epley Band Hall room 123 
Masterclass with Papo Vázquez (BAND 123)

From 7:30-9 p.m. at the Faulkner Performing Arts Center 
U of A VOICES Vocal Jazz Ensemble Concert

The festival will conclude with an evening performance by the U of A VOICES Vocal Jazz Ensemble under the direction of professor Lauren N. Clare. This concert will also feature the U of A World Music Ensemble and Jazz Orchestra and will feature works by Irving Berlin, Carlos Santana, Jacob Collier, Duke Ellington and more.

The festival officially started earlier this month with a series of performances on April 5 given by high school bands from across the region, including Har-Ber High School, Farmington High School, Bentonville West High School, Prairie Grove High School, Arkansas Arts Academy, Greenland High School, Mountain Home High School, Central JR High School, Fayetteville High School and the U of A’s own World Music Ensemble.

Visit the Jazz Area online for more information.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.