Jazz Fables to play tribute to masters

Local and regional musicians have turned Bear's Place into a jazz club for the almost 15 years that Jazz Fables has played there. \nBut tonight, Bear's features a special performance -- a tribute. Jamey Aebersold will be playing a "Tribute to the Masters" in concert with his All-Star Quintet at Jazz Fables. The quintet consists of IU Professor of Jazz Pat Harbison, Indianapolis pianist Steve Allee, Louisville bassist Tyrone Wheeler, and drummer Jonathan Higgins, who played on Aebersold's most recent recording. The members of the band have worked with each other for several years to put their talents together and have enjoyed making modern jazz music.\nJazz Fables has the promotion of local and regional jazz musicians as its mission. \n"David Miller's Jazz Fables has meant a great deal to the jazz scene in Bloomington," said Jazz Fables regular pianist Luke Gillespie in an earlier interview. "Miller has been a constant supporter and promoter of jazz music over the years, and his Jazz Fables performances with many visiting jazz artists, especially at Bear's Place, have helped to expose jazz to a wider audience, including students, faculty and the extended Bloomington community."\nSome of the jazz masters to whom the band will be paying tribute include Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk. The band will also play some of Aebersold's own compositions and arrangements. Aebersold graduated from IU with a master's degree in saxophone in 1962 and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music by the University in 1992. \nAccording to Aebersold's Web site, www.aebersold.com, he was one of the first educators to encourage small group classes concentrating on improvisation and has presented his one-week Summer Jazz Workshops for over 25 years all around the world. Aebersold is best known for his ground-breaking series of over 100 play-along book/CD sets that enable musicians to develop their improvisational skills to the accompaniment of top jazz artists such as Rufus Reid, Ron Carter, Dave Liebman, Grady Tate, Jimmy Raney, Kenny Barron, Dan Haerle, Mark Levine, John Goldsby and Steve Davis. Aebersold received a lifetime achievement award from the International Association for Jazz Education In January 2003.\n"He's established himself as one of the most influential jazz educators in the world," said David Miller, founder and director of the Jazz Fables concert series at Bear's Place. \nAebersold has been coming to play at Bear's Place since the mid 1990s, almost since Bear's opened in 1989. Not only does he contribute to the array of jazz artists who swing by IU annually for shows and concerts, but Aebersold is also a major benefactor of Jazz Fables. The piano sitting in the back room of Bear's Place was purchased by Aebersold specifically for the Jazz Fables concert series to be used by all musicians who perform on the stage, Miller said.\nAebersold's band has been dubbed as a "regional all-star group," perhaps because many people would agree with Miller that they play the best repertoire of modern jazz in the Midwest.\n"They're the best players in this style and in this region," Miller said. "IU is blessed with a tremendous jazz department."\n-- Contact staff writer Kye Lee at kyelee@indiana.edu.