ECC JazzFest welcomes saxophonist Ray Herrmann in concert
Submitted by Elgin Community College
Saxophonist Ray Herrmann will be the special guest performer for JazzFest, the Elgin Community College Jazz Ensembles' spring concert. JazzFest begins at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 16, at the ECC Arts Center, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.
Herrmann's résumé includes concerts performing with Santana, Chicago, Herbie Hancock, Whitney Houston, and Bob Dylan. He has played on albums featuring hip-hop icons Dr. Dre and Tupac Shakur, country stars Alan Jackson and LeAnn Rimes, pop stars Gwen Stefani and Christina Aguilera, and jazz greats George Benson and Bill Holman.
Herrmann, an Evanston native, also has worked off and on for 10 years with Brian Setzer and the Brian Setzer Orchestra. He recorded more than 10 albums with Setzer and the band, including the multiplatinum “The Dirty Boogie.” That album also features Herrmann's famous tenor saxophone solo on the Grammy award-winning “Jump, Jive, and Wail.”
Directing the ECC Jazz Ensembles is Mark Bettcher, director of the award-winning Dundee-Crown High School jazz bands and orchestras in Carpentersville. He has worked with some of the top names in jazz and pop music, including Tony Bennett, Joe Williams, Ramsey Lewis, Louis Bellson, and The Temptations.
Bettcher recorded five CDs with the Frank Mantooth Orchestra that received multiple Grammy nominations. He also released the solo recordings “Through the Eyes of a Child” and “Take a Look Inside.” In addition, Bettcher toured with Phil Collins throughout the United States and Europe, recording a live CD with Collins in Paris.
Tickets to JazzFest are $13 for adults and $12 for students/seniors. Tickets for all performances in the ECC Arts Center are available online at tickets.elgin.edu or at the ECC box office located in the arts center. Box office hours are noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. To purchase tickets by phone, call (847) 622-0300. All major credit cards are accepted.
Visit elgin.edu/arts for more information about the ECC Arts Center, including video clips of upcoming artists and events, the Standing Room Only blog, and links to the Arts Center's Twitter and Facebook pages.