Faculty members from the jazz studies program at Youngstown State University will perform together tonight for the annual Leonardi Legacy concert.
The event is named for the founder of the jazz studies program, Tony Leonardi.
Each musician will be featured on music of their choosing, and the concert will conclude with a grand finale including all performers. The program will include standards, jazz compositions and original material in a variety of small group settings.
All of the performers live in northeast Ohio or western Pennsylvania, teach and mentor students at YSU, and several of them are YSU alumni.
Performers include:
Jeff Bush, a trombone player who has performed with the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra and toured with the Glenn Miller Orchestra and Harry Connick Jr.'s big band.
Kent Engelhardt, a saxophone player who is the coordinator of jazz studies at YSU. He has toured with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra conducted by Buddy Morrow, appeared on the PBS special ''Tommy Dorsey - Sentimental Gentleman of Swing'' and is the saxophone section leader in the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra and one of its arrangers.
Matt Ferraro, a saxophone player who has backed such artists as The Four Tops, The Temptations, Roberta Flack, Johnny Mathis, Manhattan Transfer and Barry Manilow and has played in the orchestra for many of the national tours of Broadway productions in Cleveland.
Dave Kana, a saxophone player who has performed with The Benny Goodman Orchestra, Buddy Greco, Barbara Morrison, Henry Cuesta, The Temptations, Kristin Chenoweth and the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra.
Ken Karsh, a guitarist who has performed with Jimmy McGriff, Eric Kloss, Bobby McFerrin, Lee Konitz, "Papa John" DeFrancesco, Jack McDuff, Gene Ludwig, Bernadette Peters, Nathan Davis, the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Dave Morgan, a jazz bassist, composer, and theorist who has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Lovano, Arturo Sandoval, Cedar Walton, James Moody, Benny Golson, Larry Coryell, Mose Allison, Jim McNeely, Bob Brookmeyer, and The Cleveland Orchestra.
Glenn Schaft, director of percussion studies. He is the founder of the YPC touring Ensemble and the SMARTS Drum Circle Outreach Program, and he has more than 35 years of professional experiences in the classical, contemporary, world, jazz / improvised and popular music genres.
The concert starts at 8 p.m. today in Anne Kilcawley Christman Memorial Hall at Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave., Youngstown. A pre-concert reception starting at 6:30 p.m. will feature student jazz combos from YSU. Tickets are $5 at the door with YSU students admitted free with a valid ID.