Margie Yu Public Affairs Spec. Trumpeter Bobby Shew will make a special guest appearance with the ensemble, which was formed by pianist Paul De Castro to play salsa-influenced jazz. De Castro, assistant professor of music at Cal State L.A., is producing the series for the Luckman.
Admission is free.
Benedict, a professor of music at Cal State L.A., is currently the director of Jazz Studies at the University. For over three decades he has performed and recorded with the elite of the jazz world including Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, Maynard Ferguson, and Oliver Nelson. In addition to his prolific recording schedule, Shew has become one of the jazz community's most in-demand clinicians and concert soloists playing with singers such as Della Reese, Robert Goulet, Tom Jones, and Paul Anka. Although his name has not been associated with Latin music, Shew has long nurtured a strong appetite for the music and has engaged in a life-long pursuit of the information about the myriad of intricate styles associated with Latin jazz and salsa dance music. His technique, musicianship and musicality place him among the greatest musicians in the business.