A&M International Holds Jazz Concert for Student Music Equipment

If you have longed to hear the sounds of live jazz music in Laredo, Texas A&M International University will be the site to visit Sunday, September 27 as it holds a jazz concert featuring local professional jazz band Three Eighths Blue.

The event, "Jazzin' at the U," scheduled for 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. at the Great Room of the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, will honor Texas A&M International University band director and veteran musician Elmo López Sr. for his selection to the Phi Beta Mu Texas Bandmasters Hall of Fame.

Tickets for the event will be sold at the door and are $10 each for adults and $5 for students. Proceeds from the event will be used to support the A&M International Music Equipment Program, which targets the purchase of music equipment for the A&M International Band. Refreshments will be served after the concert.

A&M International President Dr. Charles Jennett said that the University hopes this will be the first of many music concerts to be held at the University.

"Our modern campus is growing to include several new buildings, including an approximately $15 million Fine and Performing Arts Center, which is expected to be completed in approximately three years. As the center begins operation, events like this will play a premier role in keeping cultural enrichment activities strong in Laredo. We encourage the community to attend this concert, recognize an accomplished Laredo musician and help the University raise funds for music equipment for its students," Dr. Jennett said.

Dr. Ray Keck, chair of the Language, Literature and Arts Department, said that the University will be pleased to welcome the community to this special event.

"We saw the sprightliness that this jazz group generated at our first Fourth of July Celebration on campus this year, and we hope that we will be able to experience the same at the upcoming concert," Keck said.

Some of the pieces to be performed at the concert include "A Night in Tunisia," "Fly Me to the Moon," "My Romance," "Maiden Voyage," "My Foolish Heart" and "Spain." Other pieces in the program include those by Herbie Hancock, Don Grolnick, Pat Metheny and Dizzy Gillespie.

For further information, please contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at 326-2180. University office hours are 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu