Jazz at The Duck presents Jim Connerley Quartet

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

DePauw Jazz at the Duck will present The Jim Connerley Quartet from 8:30-10:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27 at The Inn at DePauw's Fluttering Duck. The event is free and open to the public.

The Jim Connerly Quartet features Connerley, a 1985 DePauw graduate, on piano, Sandy Williams on guitar, Frank Smith on bass and Kenny Phelps on drums.

Connerley has been an active member of the tri-state jazz community since 1990. He graduated magna cum laude with a master's degree from the Indiana University School of Music.

He has performed with such internationally known jazz artists as Barry Ries, Don Braden, Antonio Hart, David "Fathead" Newman, Rich Perry and Delfeayo Marsalis.

Since moving to the Cincinnati area he has been a member of some of its finest jazz groups including the Pat Harbison Quintet, the Cohesion Jazz Ensemble the salsa band, Tropicoso and the Brent Gallaher Quartet. Currently he is a member of the Art Gore Quartet, the John Zappa trio, the Dan Faehnle Quartet and the Gary Gorrell Quartet

Along with his own jazz trio, Connerley also leads the United Methodist Jazz Trio, an exciting group who performs jazz treatments of gospel songs, hymns and spirituals. Their album "Spirit Songs," re-released in 2006, received critical acclaim from both jazz and liturgical circles.

He also leads the Vintage Keys Project, a group dedicated to music showcasing the Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric pianos. The group performs classic arrangements by artists such as Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Cannonball Adderley and Dave Douglas as well as originals and original arrangements by members of the band.

Jim has appeared on nearly 20 CDs including the recent releases "A Road Less Traveled" by the Pat Harbison Quintet, "Frequency" by vibraphonist Rusty Burge and his own 2010 release of "Private Party: A Collection of Jazz Duos," featuring six of Cincinnati's finest jazz artists including guitarist Dan Faehnle, Burge and vocalist Ann Chamberlain.

Jim has been a jazz educator on the university level since 1990. He has taught at Miami of Ohio University and the DePauw University School of Music. Currently he is a member of the jazz faculty at the University of Louisville School of Music.

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