BLU Jazz Big Band Residency w/ the Sam Blakeslee Large Group “Farewell Show” Presented by the BLU Jazz+ Masterclass Foundation (BJMF), join us for the final installment of our BLU Jazz Big Band Residency featuring the Sam Blakeslee Large Group! Sam and the band will present a "Standards & Not So Standards" program ft. special guests Nicole Zuraitis & Dan Pugach from New York City!
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Join us for the LAST month of the BLU Jazz Big Band Residency with the Sam Blakeslee Large Group before he moves to New York City! To make the send off extra-special, he will be presenting “Standards & Not So Standards” with special guest NYC vocalist Nicole Zuraitis and frequent collaborator and NYC drummer/composer Dan Pugach!
 
The Large Group will be exploring the beautiful lyrics and harmonies of the Great American Songbook as well as some of the original compositions that became “standards” of the BLU Jazz Residency over the last year and a half. Get your tickets now for this special event!
 

 
Sam Blakeslee is a trombonist/composer residing in Cleveland, OH. In his few years on the scene, he has played with artists Sean Jones, Jiggs Whigham, Aretha Franklin, Dominick Farinacci, Dennis Mackrel, Wessell “Warmdaddy” Anderson, and Derrick Gardner. Sam holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Studies from Youngstown State University and a Master’s Degree in Classical Performance from Universtiy of Akron. Sam has performed at the Kennedy Center, the Banff Centre, as well as famous jazz clubs in New York City such as 55 Bar, Shapeshifter Lab, and Whynot Jazz Room. He has also participated in some of the world’s most illustrious workshops and residencies including The Steans Institute for the Young Artist at Ravinia, Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead at the Kennedy Center, and the Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music at the Banff Centre. As an active educator, Sam is currently the Director of the Jazz Prep Program and After School Band Program at Cuyahoga Community College, as well as the Instructor of Improvisation at the Cleveland Institute of Music.
 

 
While Sam leads many of his own projects, The Sam Blakeslee Large Group is his unique signature. The ensemble is a high-energy 17-piece contemporary jazz orchestra that features original music of his or other members of the group. Its repertoire is an exciting mix of hip-hop, contemporary classical music, as well as hard-swinging traditional jazz styles. The members of the group are some of the most creative and innovative players and composers in the Northeast Ohio area. One of the goals of the group is to also create a larger regional network of musicians by bringing in artists from Detroit, Pittsburgh, and NYC.
 
Join us for this special “farewell” show as we celebrate with amazing music & company to send Sam off to New York City!
 

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.
 

$10