As a part of the University of Minnesota’s 2008-2009 Jazz Series, Jazz Ensemble I is pleased to present “Brass Attacks,” featuring trumpeter Charles Lazarus. The concert will be held at Ted Mann Concert Hall on Dec. 8, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.
The first half of the program will feature Charles Lazarus as a soloist with Jazz Ensemble I, directed by Dean Sorenson. The second half of the program will feature Lazarus with his band as they perform selections from their new CD, Zabava.

Charles Lazarus is known for his distinctive blend of lounge/exotica and funk fired jazz. The trumpeter/composer’s eclectic career has been met with acclaim from critics worldwide. Lazarus made his main stage Carnegie Hall solo debut with the New York String Orchestra at the age of 19 while still a student at The Juilliard School in New York. He has been a member of the Dallas Brass, Meridian Arts Ensemble, Canadian Brass, and currently the Minnesota Orchestra. He has been on the trumpet faculties of Princeton University and St. Olaf College, and has performed and taught master classes in every US state, Canada, South America and throughout Europe and Asia.

Lazarus has performed his own compositions for the Montréal and Ottawa International Jazz Festivals, live on Radio Canada, for music videos that have aired nationally on Canadian television, and as an opening act for Tony Bennett. He has performed with the New York Trumpet Ensemble, The New York Big Brass, The London Brass, and the Montréal Symphony and has been a soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Florida Orchestra, Les Violons du Roy, and the Bach Society among others. He has recorded for television and Imax film scores, as well as major symphony orchestras and numerous classical, pop and jazz ensembles.

Ted Mann Concert Hall is on the West Bank of the University of Minnesota (2128 4th Street South). Downbeat is 7:30 p.m., and admission is free. FFI call (612) 964-1056 or visit <www.music.umn.edu >.

—Dean Sorenson