Lauded Percussionist Bill Summers to Drum Up Excitement at Two Oakland University Concerts

In November, the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance at Oakland University will host two concerts featuring multiple Grammy, Billboard and Emmy award-winning musician Bill Summers, a pioneer in the field of world percussion.

At 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5, Summers will play with the Oakland Jazz Quartet, which is comprised of OU faculty musicians MiLes Brown, Mark Stone, Sean Dobbins and Scott Gwinnell.

At 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, Summers will join students for Oakland University's fall World Music Concert, featuring Akwaaba, an African drum ensemble; Ngoma, an African xylophone ensemble; and the Pan-Jumbies steel drum band.

A native Detroiter, Summers is a veteran of Herbie Hancock's Headhunters and worked closely with Quincy Jones on the films "The Wiz" and "The Color Purple," as well as the television series "Roots."

He also has performed and recorded with an incredible range of musicians including Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Stanley Clarke, Carlos Santana and Michael Jackson. Summers currently co-directs The Headhunters and the Latin Jazz sensation Los Hombres Calientes with Irvin Mayfield. Additional information about Summers is available at billsummers.net.

Tickets for Bill Summers and the Oakland Jazz Quartet are $14 for general admission and $8 students. Those for the World Music Concert with Bill Summers are $8 for all seats.

Both concerts will take place in Varner Recital Hall on the Oakland University campus, where ample free parking is available. Maps are available at oakland.edu/map or by searching for "Varner Hall" on a smart phone.

Tickets for all Music, Theatre and Dance events can be purchased online, by phone or in person. Complete information is available at oakland.edu/tickets.