Jazz Ensemble to commemorate 50th anniversary of Civil Rights Act

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

The UNC Charlotte Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Will Campbell, will present “Stepping Stones to Freedom: Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement,” at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 22, in the Robinson Hall for the Performing Arts, Belk Theater.

“Stepping Stones to Freedom” commemorates the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act with a multimedia performance that includes music by Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis, as well as "Strange Fruit," Charles Mingus's "Fables of Faubus" and the civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome." Guest artists Carl Ratliff, saxophone, and Toni Tupponce, vocals, will join the ensemble for this event.

The April 22 concert is part of the 2014 Ulysses Charlotte Festival of the Arts: A Beautiful Symphony of Brotherhood, which is an effort among multiple cultural and academic institutions, including UNC Charlotte, to consider issues of civil rights through the lens of the arts. More about the festival is on the Web.

Tickets are $6 for general admission, $5 for UNC Charlotte faculty/staff and seniors and $4 for all students and can be obtained by phone or in person at the Robinson Hall Box Office (704-687-1849) or online.