University of Maryland, College Park students know the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center as home to students and faculty of the School of Music, Department of Theatre and Department of Dance. But for the millions of other people who live in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the center, referred to locally as the C-SPAC, is a gorgeous, state-of-the-art performing arts venue showcasing the brightest regional, national and international talent.
Jazz has been a permanent fixture in C-SPAC’s line-up, and the upcoming season brings notable performances by the McCoy Tyner Septet, the Maria Schneider Orchestra, the Stefon Harris Septet and The Bad Plus. On Dec. 6, the University of Maryland’s Jazz Studies program hosts a Winter Big Band Showcase featuring the UM Jazz Ensemble, the UM “Monster” Jazz Lab Band and the University Jazz Band.
On Oct. 29, as part of the NEA Jazz Masters Tour, the McCoy Tyner Septet will perform classics from the Impulse! Records catalog including Sonny Rollins’ “Alfie,” Charles Mingus’ “The Dancer,” and John Coltrane’s “Africa” and “Resolution.”
On Nov. 12, composer and band leader Maria Schneider will perform with her orchestra, and on Feb. 11, the Stefon Harris Septet will perform a bold blend of jazz, hip-hop and R&B. Lastly, May 6 brings The Bad Plus (pictured)-a piano power trio whose rock sensibility might lead them to cover Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” or Blondie’s “Heart of Glass,” as they did on 2003’s These Are the Vistas.
Tickets to any of these events can be purchased online at claricesmithcenter.umd.edu, by calling (301) 405-2787 or in person at C-SPAC. Each show costs $35, while the Winter Big Band Showcase costs $20.
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