The Music Center at Temple Beth Israel Concert Series will change musical genres for the third performance of the season, featuring jazz pianist Andy Nevala. The Andy Nevala Trio will perform at the Music Center on Friday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m.
Andy Nevala currently directs Jazz Ensembles I, II, and III, The Latin ensemble, three combos, the Annual Jazz Festival (in it’s 3rd year), and teaches several private jazz students at Jacksonville State University. He was formerly the Coordinator of Jazz Studies at California State University, Stanislaus, where he conducted the Jazz Ensemble, Combos I-V, the Latin Ensemble, the Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and taught courses including Jazz Pedagogy for the Music Educator, Jazz Improvisation, Jazz History, Jazz Piano, Jazz Arranging, and private lessons to the upper-division Jazz Studies Majors.
Dr. Nevala has been recognized by Downbeat magazine on nine different occasions, winning individual Downbeat Music Awards for composition (2002), arranging (2003), and performing/directing (2000, 2001, 2002). He also maintains an active performance schedule in the San Francisco area and across the United States and Europe.
Professionally, Dr. Nevala has performed/toured with the Glenn Miller Orchestra (US Touring Orchestra 1 Tour of Japan, 2 tours of Canada), Steve Lippia (2 US tours, Fresno CA Symphony, Las Cruces NM Symphony, Corpus Christi TX Symphony), Eddie Turner (3 tours of Europe), The ProJazz Trio (Bassist Gonzalo Teppa, Drummer Tyer Hornby; two Venezuelan tours, tour of Canada), Mazacote (San Francisco, CA), Orquesta Borinquen (San Francisco, CA), Conjunto Colores (Denver, CO), Orkestra MaCuba (Atlanta, GA); Nelson Rangell (Denver, CO), Mart Avant and Nightflight (Birmingham, AL), and many more. He maintains an active performing schedule in the Southeastern US Region.
Tickets for the performance are $12 each, and may be purchased online at www.eyomusiccenter.org or in person at the Front Desk of the Mary G. Hardin Center for Cultural Arts in downtown Gadsden.