Tucson Region

Jazz Academy to honor Duke

The Arizona Jazz Academy will play its last concerts of the year, a tribute to Duke Ellington, Saturday at the Tucson Convention Center Music Hall. The academy is composed of middle- and high-school students from the Tucson area. Students play in combos and big bands. The academy is led by University of Arizona students and graduates. The concerts will feature tenor-sax player Bill Trujillo, who performed with the Stan Kenton Orchestra, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Buddy Rich and Frank Sinatra. The Arizona Jazz Academy bands recently won 11 ensemble awards and 28 individual awards at the Fullerton Jazz Festival in Fullerton, Calif. The academy's Ellington Band has been invited to perform at the North Sea Jazz Festival at The Hague, Netherlands, this summer, said Executive Director Doug Tidaback. The jazz groups will perform Saturday at the TCC Music Hall at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. A $15 donation is good for admission to both concerts. Tickets are available at the door or by calling 250-7256.