FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, November 2, 2007
THE TRUMPET KINGS IN CONCERT AT BETHANY NOV. 8
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| Bob Montgomery '59 |
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| Bryce Luty '58 |
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LINDSBORG, Kan.—On Nov. 8, Bethany College will welcome back to campus two world-renowned alumni musicians.
Bethany graduates Bob Montgomery and Bryce Luty, along with Daryl Batchelor, form the jazz trumpet trio The Trumpet Kings.
The Trumpet Kings will perform in concert Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in Presser Hall. The event is free and open to the public. Also on Nov. 8, members of the ensemble will lead afternoon clinics for high school students on the Bethany College campus.
The program for the evening features a variety of music, including several big band standards and some new big band-style arrangements from current artists. Compositions by Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie Blues will be on the play list.
In addition to the Thursday performance at Bethany, the group will be featured at Hutchinson Community College on November 6; Wichita State at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 7; and McPherson High School at 8 p.m. on Friday, November 9.
The Trumpet Kings were formed three years ago by Montgomery, Denver, Colo. Montgomery has written approximately 35 arrangements of famous jazz pieces for three trumpets and a rhythm section of bass, guitar or piano, and drums. The music has been performed in Denver, but never in Kansas before this tour.
Joining The Trumpet Kings in concert at Bethany will be a rhythm section, composed of former Hutchinson Community College students who now play in Wichita.
Internationally known jazz artist and educator Bob Montgomery graduated from Bethany College in 1959. After teaching in Kansas for three years, he studied with Dr. Gene Hall at Michigan State University, where he earned his master’s and played in a jazz ensemble that won the Notre Dame Jazz Festival.
Montgomery then developed a strong program at Evergreen High School in Colorado before moving back to Kansas to direct the jazz studies program at Emporia State University. He also served as director of jazz studies at Denver University. After seven years, he ended his collegiate teaching career to pursue a career in professional music.
Montgomery is well-known for having started the Clark Terry Summer Jazz Camps, the Telluride Camp with Rich Mattison and the Mile High Jazz Camp at the University of Denver. These camps were active for 25 years. He recently has written and recorded six CDs, and toured Japan, England and Australia three times.
Former Director of Jazz Studies at Hutchinson Community College (HCC) Bryce Luty graduated from Bethany in 1958. While at HCC, Luty’s jazz ensemble played at various national meetings, including the National Association for Musical Education and the International Association for Jazz Association (IAJE); at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Montruex, Switzerland; and at Euro Disney in Paris, France. Luty directed the national IAJE Community College Jazz Ensemble for two years, when it was held in Boston and San Antonio, and served as central states coordinator for IAJE for eight years.
He recently released a CD, “Bryce Luty and Friends.” Luty maintains a busy playing career with his trio, quartet and quintet, and is director of the Salt City Big Band, associated with the city of Hutchinson and the municipal band. He also has organized the educators’ jam session at the IAJE National Conference for the past several years.
Daryl Batchelor is in his tenth year as director of jazz studies at Hutchinson Community College. Prior to moving to Hutchinson, Batchelor spent twenty years as a band director for grades 5-12 in Wamego and Sabetha, Kan. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Kansas State University. As a graduate assistant, he worked with athletic bands and jazz bands under Phil Hewitt.
During the Jimmy Carter presidency, Batchelor spent three years on the “road” performing a variety of music. His love for music education, ignited by his experience in Haven, Kan., led him back to teaching. He now is an active clinician and performer across Kansas. He has participated as a faculty member of the Emporia jazz camp, and has served the Kansas Music Educators Association on the district and state level as jazz chair of the all-festival jazz ensemble.
Batchelor performs with, and is co-leader with, Bryce Luty in the Salt City Big Band, and is a member of the Jazz Friends Big Band under the direction of Lisa Hittle. For twenty-five years, he has been a member of the Manhattan-based horn band Mainstreet, which recorded its latest CD this year. He most recently recorded and performed with Kerry Livgren's new band Proto-Kaw.
Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The mission of Bethany College is to nurture and challenge individuals in their search for truth and meaning as they lead lives of faith, learning and service. Bethany College is on the Web at www.bethanylb.edu.
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