Infinite Winds, the new CD release by the MIT Wind Ensemble and MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble on Sunnyside Records, garnered a 5-star rating in the June issue of Down Beat magazine—its highest rating.
Down Beat applauds MIT’s debut commercial jazz venture, saying the two MIT ensembles, led by Fred Harris Jr., “perform with discipline and conviction on demanding suites that fuse time-honored jazz and wind-band traditions.” Harris is the founder of the Wind Ensemble and current director of both groups, and a lecturer in Music and Theater Arts at MIT.
Sunnyside Records released the CD in April, which features guest performances by tenor saxophonist Bill McHenry and clarinetist Evan Ziporyn, the Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor of Music, and faculty director of MIT’s Center for Art, Science & Technology. This is the first time that a collection of recordings by MIT student musical groups has been released on a major jazz label, and the first time MIT student ensembles have been reviewed by the highly acclaimed jazz magazine.
Infinite Winds is dedicated to the late Herb Pomeroy, who founded the Festival Jazz Ensemble and features compositions by Chick Corea, Don Byron, and Guillermo Klein.
Listen to tracks from Infinite Winds.
Read additional news about Infinite Winds at MIT News.