Fat Tuesday Jazz

Bloomington, IN: The award winning Bloomington North Advanced Jazz Band and Combo, featuring the legendary trumpeter Dominic Spera, will perform Tuesday, February 28th @ 8 p.m. at the BHSN Auditorium. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted. Proceeds will benefit the Loyola College of Music Jazz Department, located in the heart of New Orleans.

Spera will be premiering his new composition "Northern Encounter," specifically written for the BHSN Jazz Band. Comments Janis Stockhouse, Director of Bands, "He has contributed so much to the furthering of jazz education for high school students. For the past 35 years, he has penned a huge library of exciting, high quality jazz charts that high school bands can play. They are memorable and the students love performing them! He is such an effective teacher and a great communicator. What an incredible opportunity for our students to play with him. I want to encourage everyone to come and enjoy this great evening of jazz."

Trumpeter Dominic Spera was Professor of Jazz Studies at Indiana University and the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire for 35 years. He is the founder of both the Eau Claire and Bloomington Jazz Festivals, two of the most successful high school jazz festivals in the Midwest, and still going strong.

Recently, Spera recently released a new CD entitled "The American Popular Songbook for Brass Quintet." He is still enjoying a rich career as a featured soloist and clinician at jazz festivals and professional musical events around the world.

Dominic Spera's contributions to music have gained him international recognition in the jazz curriculum area as well as the performing arts. He has taught privately and in school systems for over thirty years and is an honor graduate with a BME, BM, and MME from Indiana University.

His professional background includes prolific work as a composer-arranger and performances as a jazz artist. For 10 years, Mr. Spera performed professionally in New York City doing work in TV and recording studios, which included Firestone TV show, Fred Waring TV show, City Center Ballet Orchestra, Radio City Symphony, Roxy Theater orchestra, and played lead trumpet in several Broadway Shows including "How To Succeed In Business," "Stop The World I Want To Get Off," "The Roar Of The Greasepaint, The Smell Of The Crowd", and "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever." He also played in the bands of Lionel Hampton, Andy Kirk, Charlie Barnet, Billy Butterfield, Tito Puente, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, and Les and Larry Elgart. From 1966 to 1974, Mr. Spera played first trumpet for Burt Bacharach, Johnny Mathis, Andy Williams, Henry Mancini, and a host of other entertainment luminaries. Recently, he performed with Frank Sinatra in Las Vegas, Natalie Cole on her national tour, and with Steve Lawrence and Edie Gorme. He has also performed with the Boston, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis Symphonies.