ELMHURST UNIVERSITY JAZZ
BAND
\nIn the spring of 2021\, master jazz educator Doug Beach retire
d after 43
\nyears as the director of the Elmhurst University Jazz Ba
nd. In the fall of the
\nsame year\, Kirk Garrison was hired as the d
irector of this group that has
\nearned worldwide acclaim as an outst
anding ensemble.
\nFormerly under the direction of Doug Beach\, the E
lmhurst University Jazz
\nBand has earned worldwide acclaim as an out
standing ensemble. In June of
\n2014\, the Downbeat Magazine Student
Music Awards named the Elmhurst
\nCollege Jazz Band the Undergraduate
College winner in the large jazz
\nensemble category.
\nThe ban
d has performed in Greece\, Romania\, England\, Scotland\, Ireland\,
\nCroatia\, France\, Belgium\, Holland\, Germany\, Switzerland\, Czech Rep
ublic\,
\nPoland\, Austria\, Italy\, Indonesia\, Malta\, Spain\, Port
ugal\, Spain\, Serbia\,
\nBulgaria\, Canada and the Bahamas. It has t
wice toured Europe at the
\ninvitation of the U.S. State Department.
It has appeared at the Montreux Jazz
\nFestival\, the Northsea Jazz F
estival\, the Umbria Jazz Festival\, the Vienne
\nJazz Festival\, Boh
emia Jazz and others. In 1997\, the band was the only
\ncollege jazz
ensemble invited to perform at the Jak Jazz Festival in Jakarta\,
\nI
ndonesia.
\nCloser to home\, the Elmhurst University Jazz Band has pe
rformed at
\nfestivals across the United States\, and has received ou
tstanding ratings from
\njazz greats Clark Terry\, Lee Konitz\, Rob M
cConnell\, Nicholas Payton\,
\nRandy Brecker and Bob Brookmeyer among
others. In 2001\, the band
\naccompanied Dee Dee Bridgewater on the
main stage at the Chicago Jazz
\nFestival in Grant Park.
\nThe b
and regularly appears with the most respected musicians in
\nprofessi
onal jazz. Recent guest artists have included Bobby Shew\, the
\nYell
owjackets\, The Maria Schneider Orchestra\, The Count Basie Orchestra\,
\nPatti Austin\, Denis DiBlasio\, Wayne Bergeron\, Dee Dee Bridgewater\
,
\nOrbert Davis\, Marshall Gilkes\, Jeff Hamilton\, Tamir Hendelman\
, John
\nPizzarelli\, Tom Scott\, Gary Smulyan\, Terell Stafford\, St
eve Wiest\, Anthony
\nWilson\, Bill Watrous\, and Patrick Williams. I
n October of 2017\, the band
\nwas invited by the legendary Doc Sever
insen to accompany him on a concert
\ntour of Ohio.