John Currey’s high school jazz ensemble will do something it has not done before.

Currey, jazz ensemble director at Champaign Central High School, will bring his students to Eastern on Thursday to perform in Eastern’s jazz ensemble concert.

Currey met with Sam Fagaly, Eastern’s jazz ensemble director at the Midwest Band Orchestra, and discussed the concept.

“I was at the Midwest Band Orchestra clinic and talked to Sam Fagaly about possibly having him come and work with my band,” Currey said. “Any time the band can get onto a college campus with college musicians, it’s a valuable experience.”

Fagaly agreed to have Currey’s high school jazz ensemble perform in Eastern’s jazz ensemble concert.

This is not the first time Currey’s jazz ensemble has worked with other groups.

“I like to get a number of people to work with the band for different perspectives,” he said.

He said he likes his ensemble to work with anyone in the music field, whether they are professional musicians or faculty members in a music department.

Before the concert, the high school jazz ensemble will participate in a two-hour clinic given by Eastern music faculty.

The faculty will help the high school students with songs they will perform later that day for the concert.

The Champaign Central High School jazz ensemble will not be the only non-Eastern student group to perform in the concert.

A few faculty members from the Eastern music department will also perform.

Paul Johnston will perform on piano, Scott Hesse on guitar and David Fink on bass.

“Guitarist Scott Hesse, bassist Dave Fink and I will be performing ‘Bouncin’ with Bud’ by Bud Powell on Thursday’s concert,” Johnston said.

Fagaly said he has enjoyed preparing for this concert.

“It’s always satisfying to help students develop their potential as musicians and grow as individuals through their hard work in preparing challenging, professional level music,” he said.

The jazz ensemble concert is at 7:30 p.m. today in the Martin Luther King Junior University Grand Ballroom. There is no charge for admission.