The New Lionel Hamption Big Band with Jason Marsalis Are Headed to the MAC

The McAninch Arts Center (MAC) is pleased to present a free concert by The New Lionel Hampton Big Band with Jason Marsalis, Saturday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. This incredible band featuring world-class musicians who played with the legendary Lionel Hampton will perform a memorable mix of jazz, swing and bebop. This concert was originally scheduled for the Lakeside Pavilion this past summer as part of the WDCB LIVE Jazz Concert Series but was cancelled due to the impact of poor weather on the band's air travel. The rescheduled concert is presented in partnership with WDCB 90.9 FM Public Radio from College of DuPage. There are no advance reservations. The box office will begin to hand out tickets at the MAC day of show, starting at 2 p.m.

"This past August, we were disappointed when weather hampered the band's travel plans and we had to cancel that concert," said MAC Director DiAna Martinez. "We were determined to find a date in the fall that would work for all involved and we have! And in the spirit of the Lakeside Pavilion, we are happy to present this incredible band in concert, free of charge."

Lionel Leo Hampton (1908-2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Hampton worked a wide roster of jazz musicians including Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, Buddy Rich, Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus and Quincy Jones. In 1992, he was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, and was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1996. In 2015 his estate, eager to have the Big Band reactivate, granted permission to launch The New Lionel Hampton Big Band featuring Jason Marsalis, with Christian Fabian, Cleave Guyton Jr. and Lance Bryant as co-leaders.

Jason Marsalis (percussion) is the youngest member of the renowned Marsalis Jazz family. He began his career behind the drums at age of six. As an adult, he traded drumsticks for mallets as he mastered the vibraphone. He plays the vibes with elegant flair, coaxing the instrument's warm vibrato into the spotlight while accompanied by pianist Austin Johnson, bassist Will Goble, and drummer David Pott. Over the course of his illustrious career, Marsalis has crossed many genres, offering jazz-influenced takes on everything from bluegrass to classical.

Christian Fabian (bass) plays with Mike Longo's New York State of the Art Jazz Ensemble in New York City, is a jazz ambassador for the US State Department with his band The Native Jazz Quartet, and plays to SRO clubs in Japan with ukelele player Herb Otha. Jason Marsalis, of the Marsalis jazz dynasty (recipients of the NEA Jazz Masters award), plays all over the world with his own bands and with Marcus Roberts. Cleave Guyton has played with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Dizzy Gillespie and many more.

Cleave Guyton Jr. (saxophones, flutes and clarinet) has worked with artists such as: Joe Henderson, Stanley Turrentine, Nat Adderley, Abby Lincoln, The Duke Ellington Orchestra, Jon Hendricks, The Ray Charles Orchestra, Lionel Hampton, The Count Basie Orchestra, The Cab Calloway Orchestra, Spike Lee, Joe Williams, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Ronny Jordan, The Mingus Big Band, Cleo Laine, Chaka Khan, The Boys Choir of Harlem and many more.

Saxophonist, arranger and vocalist Lance Bryant performs in the New York/New Jersey area. When Lance is not performing his own music he is touring with revered South African pianist, Abdullah Ibrahim, performing and recording as saxophonist with fellow New York area players, teaching and writing commissioned arrangements for other artists and bands. Lance comes out of Markham, Illinois, a small town near Chicago. Lance began his decade-long relationship with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra and, in 1993 became the Orchestra's Musical Director and Principal Arranger

Tickets McAninch Arts Center located at 425 Fawell Blvd. on the campus of College of DuPage presents a free concert by The New Lionel Hampton Big Band featuring Jason Marsalis, Saturday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. There are no advance reservations. This concert is free but tickets are required. The box office will begin to hand out tickets at the MAC day of show, starting at 2 p.m. Limit two per person until gone. For more information call the MAC box office at 630.942.4000 or visit AtTheMAC.org.

McAninch Arts Center (MAC) at College of DuPage, located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355, houses three indoor performance spaces (the 780-seat proscenium Belushi Performance Hall; the 236-seat soft-thrust Playhouse Theatre; and the versatile black box Studio Theatre), the outdoor venue, the Lakeside Pavilion, plus the Cleve Carney Art Gallery and classrooms for the college's academic programming. The MAC has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and typically welcomes more than 75,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances each season. The mission of the MAC is to foster enlightened educational and performance opportunities, which encourage artistic expression, establish a lasting relationship between people and art, and enrich the cultural vitality of the community. For more information visit AtTheMAC.org, facebook.com/AtTheMAC or twitter.com/AtTheMAC.

The MAC's 2017-2018 Season is made possible in part with support by The DuPage Foundation, Hilton Lisle/Naperville, Follett's, WDCB 90.9 FM and the College of DuPage Foundation. Established as a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit charitable organization in 1967, the College of DuPage Foundation raises monetary and in-kind gifts to increase access to education and to enhance cultural opportunities for the surrounding community. For more information about the College of DuPage Foundation, visit foundation.cod.edu or call 630.942.2462. Programs at the MAC are partially supported through a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

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