Da Camera Of Houston Presents Mingus Big Band With Helen Sung, 3/24

Da Camera of Houston brings Mingus Big Band, with Houston natives Helen Sung, piano and Frank Lacy, trombone, to the Cullen Performance Hall on the University of Houston campus on Saturday, March 24, 2018, at 8 PM. This critically acclaimed jazz collective celebrates the music of legendary composer and bassist Charles Mingus (1922-1979).

One of the most important musical figures in the 20th century, Mingus followed his formal studies on the piano and double bass by performing with jazz greats including Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Duke Ellington. By the mid-1950s, Mingus had formed his own publishing and recording companies to protect and document his growing repertoire of original music. What followed was a rich body of work: Before his death in 1979, Mingus recorded more than 100 albums and wrote more than 300 scores, many of which are regarded as seminal jazz compositions.

Sue Mingus created Mingus Big Band in 1991 to celebrate the music and legacy of her late husband. The 14-piece band - one of several repertory ensembles formed under Mingus's widow's direction - is made up of a rotating cast of more than 50 regulars, each an accomplished jazz musician in his or her own right. Mingus Big Band has released 10 live albums, which have collectively received seven Grammy Award nominations and one win for the Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 2011.

On March 24, Mingus Big Band will perform with two Houston natives: Pianist and composer Helen Sung, who studied classical piano performance at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and jazz at the University of Texas at Austin; and trombonist Frank Lacy, who performed with prestigious Houston jazz ensembles before joining the Ocean of Soul marching band at Texas Southern University (while earning a physics degree) and attending the Berklee College of Music. Both musicians have long been associated with the Mingus Big Band, in addition to their own successful recording careers.

Da Camera's jazz series continues with the Brad Mehldau Trio on April 13 and Dianne Reeves on June 1.

Tickets for Mingus Big Band start at $37.50. Tickets are available by contacting Da Camera, 1402 Sul Ross, at 713-524-5050 or online at www.dacamera.com. Tickets for students and senior citizens are always half-price. $5 student rush tickets are available 30 minutes before the concert begins.

Da Camera of Houston's concerts feature small ensembles performing chamber music, jazz, early music and contemporary music. A vital institution in the world of chamber music, Da Camera is a source of innovative programming, notably Artistic and General Director Sarah Rothenberg's programs connecting chamber music with literature and the visual arts. Da Camera is nationally acclaimed for thought-provoking chamber music programming, as well as a jazz series with a unique balance betwee renowned performers and emerging artists.

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