Guest trumpet player Mark Zauss featured in university's jazz concert Thursday

The Southeast Missouri State University jazz program will end the school year with a bang Thursday when it performs in concert with guest artist Mark Zauss.

Zauss, a professional jazz trumpet player from Orlando, Fla., will join both of the university's jazz ensembles -- Studio Jazz and the Jazz Lab Band -- for a concert at 7:30 p.m. in Academic Auditorium.

Program director Dr. Bob Conger said "this is going to be a fantastic concert."

Conger said the concert will be a first-of-its-kind performance with a respected professional jazz musician joining the university's student jazz groups on stage.

As part of his visit Zauss will also present a clinic for public school students from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday in Academic Auditorium.

On stage Conger said Zauss will perform five of his own pieces with the jazz ensembles divided among the two groups, one of them an Arturo Sandoval-inspired work called "Cubano Chant." The ensembles will also perform several Maynard Ferguson works, showing off Zauss' trumpet skills.

Bringing a performer like Zauss to Cape Girardeau is partly a way to raise the profile of Southeast's jazz program, Conger said, but most important is the work Zauss will conduct with students.

Zauss will bring students the perspective of a jazz musician who plays music for a living, with six of his own musical groups playing a diverse catalog from several jazz genres. He also has two CDs that get regular airplay on jazz radio stations.

Conger adds that Zauss, who's in his late 20s, is not far removed from being a college student himself.

"He's costing us quite a bit of money, but it's so worth it to have a guy like that coming to work with the kids," said Conger.

msanders@semissourian.com

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