Southeast Montana News

MSU Billings to host Jazz Festival

Montana State University Billings will host the annual Jazz Festival Concert featuring the MSU Billings Jazz Band and guest artist Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca on February 3 in Petro Theatre on the university campus. The event will begin at 7 pm.

Lemvo hails from São Salvador Do Congo (M'Banza-Kongo), Zaire in Northern Angola. He grew up in Congo-Kinshasa where he was introduced to Cuban music by a cousin who owned a large collection of vintage Cuban records. Lemvo initially came to the United States more than 30 years ago to study law but ended up devoting his life to music.

Lemvo is the embodiment of the Afro-Latin Diaspora which connects back to Mother Africa via the Cuban clave rhythm. He is multi-cultural and equally at home singing in Spanish, Portuguese, Kimbundu, Turkish, Lingala, and Kikongo. Since forming his Los Angeles-based band Makina Loca in 1990, Lemvo has refined his craft and vision, raising his joyous voice with strength, singing songs that celebrate life, and most importantly, inspiring his audiences to let loose and dance away their worries.

In addition to the Festival Concert, college, high school, and junior high jazz ensembles in Montana are invited to attend adjudications and clinics hosted on campus throughout the day on Feb. 3. All ensembles, including big bands, combos, modern bands, vocal jazz, and all other sizes of instrumentation of Jazz or commercial ensemble, may take place in adjudication and clinics featuring improv, jazz concepts and music production. This festival is non-competitive and focused on education and nurturing the love of music. Top soloists of the festival will be awarded at the evening concert.   

“This is the largest jazz event in the region, hosting world class musicians and bringing their knowledge to Billings students, teachers, and our community,” says John Roberts, department chair of the MSUB Music Department. “It’s an opportunity to expand not only students’ knowledge and skill, but also to showcase our musicians and the guest musicians that join us.”

Tickets to the concert may be purchased by contacting the MSUB music department at 406-657-2350 or music@msubillings.edu. Admission is $15 per ticket or free admission will be provided with a valid MSUB ID at the entrance.

Original source can be found here.