Fresno State Jazz Bands “A” and “B,” under the direction of Dr. Michael Caldwell, will perform in concert featuring alumni Les Nunes and Roger Gonzales at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 24, in the Concert Hall of the Music Building at California State University, Fresno.
Nunes, a freelance jazz trombonist and one of the top jazz educators in the Central Valley, will perform “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most” and “Shaw ‘Nuff” with Jazz Band “A.”
Gonzales, a Fresno Unified School District music teacher who is working on a master’s at Fresno State, will sing and play harmonica on “Everyday I Have the Blues” with Jazz Band “B.”
Nunes, who graduated from Fresno State in 1981 with a bachelors in music and completed his master’s in 2004, directs jazz ensembles at Clovis High School and Clarke Intermediate School. He also is on the faculty of Fresno City College.
Nunes also is busy on the local jazz scene with his own group, the After Dinner Mints, and several others. He has performed with the Ringling Bros.Barnum & Bailey Circus, Ice Capades, Temptations, Four Tops, Franki Valli and the Four Seasons, the Who, Andy Gibb and many other pop groups. In the jazz area he has performed with Ed Thigpen, Plas Johnson, Dave Garabaldi, Mark Levine, Joe Williams and many others.
Gonzales, a 2004 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in music education, began his music career when he picked up a harmonica at age of 37. He found a mentor in harmonica master Eddie Gordon. While in the master’s program, Gonzales maintains a busy performance schedule.
Tickets are $6 for general admission; $5 for students/faculty/staff/seniors. Tickets may be purchased online at the www.csufresno.edu/music or from the Music Department Box Office. For more information, please call 559.278.2654.
