BLU Jazz Big Band Residency w/ the Sam Blakeslee Large Group: “Exploring Ellington” ft. Dominick Farinacci, Tri-C Next Gen Little Big Band Join us for our "first Thursdays" big band residency led by trombonist/composer, Sam Blakeslee, as the band performs Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn classics! Also featured will be appearances by trumpeter, Dominick Farinacci, and the Tri-C Next Gen Little Big Band!

For a special concert presented in conjunction with the Tri-C JazzFest, the Tri-C Next Gen Little Big Band teams up with Sam Blakeslee Large Group to present “Exploring Ellington” with special guest, Dominick Farinacci. Both groups will be performing the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn spanning across both of their careers as some of the most prolific composers in the history of jazz.
 
In addition to opening for the Sam Blakeslee Large Group, members of the Tri-C Next Gen will be performing with the Large Group throughout the evening, keeping with the rich tradition of jazz education that Tri-C JazzFest has provided in the Greater Cleveland area for over 25 years.
 
Members of the Tri-C Jazz Prep Faculty (Chris Coles – alto saxophone, Johnny Cochran – tenor saxophone, Theron Brown – piano, Aidan Plank – bass, Anthony Taddeo – percussion) will also be featured with the Large Group as well as Tri-C Jazz Studies Drumset Faculty member Jim Rupp.
 
Come out for a very special edition of our big band residency – two groups plus an internationally-renowned special guest trumpeter, Dominick Farinacci – get your tickets today!
 

About BLU Jazz+ Masterclass Foundation

Committed to the preservation of America’s treasured art form of jazz, BLU Jazz+ Masterclass Foundation (BJMF) is a new program developed by the founders of BLU Jazz+ Akron (BJA) that brings “front-row” jazz education performance & mentorship opportunities to student musicians and art lovers alike by presenting a series of masterclasses led by top visiting musicians from all over the world.
 
Recipient of a 2015 Knights Art Challenge grant award by the Knight Foundation, BLU Jazz+ Masterclass Foundation expands upon the essence of Akron, Ohio’s award-winning live jazz destination, BLU Jazz+ Akron (BJA), launched in Fall 2014.
 

About Dominick Farinacci

Trumpeter Dominick Farinacci has been recently credited the title Global Ambassador to Jazz at Lincoln Center by Wynton Marsalis, working to further integrate music into communities around the world. He graduated from The Juilliard School in 2005 launching his career in Japan with a prolific run of eight albums, later releasing three more globally. He has performed in more than 120 cities in 14 countries around the world, was a featured guest on ABC’s Good Morning America, and is a TED Speaker. Music icon Quincy Jones says of Dominick’s accomplishments in performance, recording, education and advocacy, “This kid is 360 degrees!”
 
Dominick has been a leading advocate in music education development. He served as Music Consultant to the Amy Winehouse Foundation and is the creator of Spirit of the Groove, an initiative to unite communities through music. His community development initiatives through music have since expanded to the Middle East region, in schools such as Weill Cornell Medical College, Qatar Music Academy, the American School of Doha among others.
 
Currently, Dominick is developing two collaborative projects focused on social justice & returning veterans from the Afghanistan & Iraq war, bringing music and stories together to help heighten awareness and dialogue around important current events.
 
His most recent recording “Short Stories” (Mack Avenue Records) is produced by 5-time Grammy Award Winner Tommy LiPuma. This is Tommy & Dominick’s first collaboration, and was recorded in their hometown of Cleveland at the Tommy LiPuma Center for the Arts. “Short Stories” brings together popular songs from around the globe surrounded by some of the greatest artists in music, including Steve Gadd, Christian McBride, Jacob Collier and many more.
 
In addition to touring around the world with his band, Dominick has been successful in his personal endeavors on bringing music into the community through Arts and Wellness & Education. He was invited by TED to be a TED Speaker at the 2014 TED MED conference at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. He is a featured performer for the Cleveland Clinic in both Ohio and Abu Dhabi, and organized the very first jazz performance for patients in Abu Dhabi in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic and the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation. For Dominick, music and health go hand in hand, most recently organizing panel discussions around patient-doctor communication through music with Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar.
 
Dominick has been a leading advocate in music education development, most recently featured at the Community College Association of America in D.C. He served as Music Consultant to the Amy Winehouse Foundation, and initially launched a music education program at the Tommy LiPuma Center for Creative Arts in Cleveland, Ohio, which brought together 30+ international artists involving over 3,000 students. This successful initiative has since expanded to the GCC, in schools such as Weill Cornell Medical College, Qatar Music Academy, the American School of Doha among others.
 

$15 (half of proceeds go to BJMF)