Live Jazz at the Library!
Enjoy a free evening of great live jazz with Ken Morgan on saxophones and flute, pianist Terry Lower, and bassist Jon Wegge. The performance will take place at the Oshtemo Branch Library.
Ken Morgan shares his thoughts on the power of music (WMUK) New!
Ken Morgan
Ken Morgan has been performing professionally since he was 14 years old (since 1952). Ken is primarily known as a jazz saxophonist, flutist, and band leader. He currently leads the Ken Morgan Jazz Unit, a quartet that performs in jazz club and concert venues in the Michigan region.
Ken has appeared with Louis Armstrong, Aretha Franklin, the Dave Brubeck Quartet, Henry Mancini, Pearl Bailey, the Modern Jazz Quartet, and many other well-known jazz artists.
Ken also has a live jazz team-building presentation, JazzWorks, which has presented to Visteon, Kellogg Foundation, State of Michigan, Pharmacia, and several other organizations. This presentation demonstrates teamwork, creativity, communication, conflict resolution, and risk taking, using live jazz music as the learning model. Ken has also served more than 300 organizations as a Consultant in the areas of team building, conflict management, change management, and management coaching.
Ken is also a part-time Music Faculty member at Kalamazoo College and teaches saxophone, improvisation, and jazz arranging/composition.
Terry Lower
After studying composing/arranging and performance at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Terry returned to Michigan and for over 30 years has been active on the jazz scene both here and abroad performing and/or recording with many jazz greats including Frank Morgan, David “Fathead” Newman, Larry Nozero, Hendrik Meurkins, Kevin Mahogany and Benny Golson to name a few.
Terry has appeared with many Symphony ‘pops’ Orchestras including performances with Eddie Daniels, Jennifer Holiday and Bernadette Peters as well as the Jimmy Dorsey and Nelson Riddle Orchestras. Included in his numerous Jazz Festival appearances is the renowned “Detroit/Montreux International Jazz Festival.”
In Europe, Terry toured Italy as part of the “Centro Jazz Torino” concert tour in 2006 with vocalist/Grammy nominee Betty Joplin and again in 2008 with the Edye Evans Hyde Sextet.
Also a prolific writer, many of Terry’s original compositions have been published and recorded on numerous CDs including his own Septet’s (2005) release “Step By Step” and his latest (2009) piano trio CD set, “4 Trios-vol.1 & vol. 2.” (terrylowermusic.com)
Jon Wegge
Originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin, Jon Wegge completed his Bachelor of Music Degree in 2003 at De Paul in Chicago, IL where he was fortunate to study with Larry Gray and Kelly Sill. After playing in Chicago as a freelance bassist for two years, Jon continued his studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign where in 2007 he completed a masters in Jazz Studies and studied with Chip Stephens and Jeff Grubbs. As well as playing in the central Illinois area, Jon was able to teach Jazz Bass lessons at Knox College from 2006-2008 as well as at Lincoln Land Community College and Lincoln Christian College from 2007-2008.
Jon currently lives in Kalamazoo Michigan and maintains a healthy performance schedule in Michigan as well as traveling to Chicago and Detroit. In addition to performances as a sideman, Jon has the pleasure of playing with the BMF Band, one of west Michigan’s premier Blues/Rock bands as well as The Renegades, a Chicago based jazz-fusion band, which was formed in 2000. The Renegades have released three albums “Doppler Olympics”, “Stuffed Animal Baseball”, and “Duncannon Shenanigan”. Jon can also be heard on “Esencial” by Hector Hermosillo, “Noisy Picks and Humbars” by Nick Peraino and Blue Moon Risin’ as well as an upcoming release by the Paul Mutzabaugh Trio.
Some of the artists Jon has had the privilege of sharing the stage with include Bob Brookmeyer, Jim McNeely, Louie Bellson, John Faddis, Tim Reis, Randy Brecker, David “Fathead” Newman, Jesse Palter, Mike Jellick, Keith Hall, Paul Mutzabaugh, Frank Alongi, Kris Myers, Chris Siebold, Hector Hermosillo, Terry Lower, Neil Gordon, Larry Ochiltree, Chip Stephens, Chip McNeill and Everett Greene. (jonwegge.com)