WHEN: Friday. Reception for station members is from 6 to 7 p.m. in the atrium of B.N. Duke Auditorium on the campus of North Carolina Central University. The concert, to be broadcast live, is from 7 to 9 p.m. in the auditorium and is open to the public.
WHERE: B.N. Duke Auditorium, NCCU
ADMISSION: Free. For more information, call 530-7445
By Cliff Bellamy
cbellamy@heraldsun.com; 419-6744
DURHAM -- Last year, the staff at WNCU (90.7 FM) and the faculty in NCCU's Jazz Studies Program teamed up and produced a free concert of Christmas music -- played, of course, with the requisite swing -- that was broadcast live. Friday, the station and the musicians are pooling resources again for another concert and live broadcast, which station officials say they plan to make an annual holiday tradition in Durham.
"I think that everybody had so much fun doing it that we decided we would like to keep on doing it," said B. H. Hudson, program director at WNCU. The concert gives listeners a chance to hear traditional holiday tunes played in another way, and it lets the community "know what goes on at the NCCU jazz studies department, that we have great musicians that are teaching these students. ..." Hudson added.
With this annual event, WNCU also is seeking to perfect its ability to produce live broadcasts. Since the station acquired the equipment that made the broadcasts technologically possible, it has produced several live events. In addition to last year's holiday event, WNCU also did a live broadcast of the Sun Ra Arkestra and Mingus Big Band concert, held last September in Duke University's Page Auditorium. The station wants to pursue similar broadcasts in the future, Hudson said.
Besides honoring members and presenting a holiday event, this concert also is intended to show that "jazz is for everybody," Hudson said. Families and children are welcome at the event.
While holiday standards will be the fare Friday, don't be surprised if one of the musicians calls a different tune, Hudson added. And while the concert is scheduled to stop at 9 p.m., the staff is willing to improvise, she said. "It is a jazz performance, so we're prepared to let it roll if they want to."
