Eastern students will be playing a variety of jazz combos and music while being lead by three faculty members who have experience performing across the U.S.

The jazz studies program will be showcasing three jazz combos at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Black Box Theatre of the Doudna Fine Arts Center.

The concert will be available to the public and free of charge.

Dan Crews, director of Doudna, said students will be playing three different classic jazz combos and standards.

“The students will also be playing new arrangements they created,” he said.

Nick Tucker, Jamie Ryan and Paul Johnston, who are all faulty in the music department, will coach the combos of the jazz performance.

“The music faculty will be working with the students during the performance, coaching them during each combo,” Crews said.

Nick Tucker is a bassist and has been at Eastern for three years.  He has performed with many jazz groups in different cities, such as Indianapolis, Bloomington and throughout the Midwest.

Tucker has also performed in Latin and rock groups in these cities as well.

Jamie Ryan is the assistant professor of percussion at Eastern.  He performs regularly with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and is a member of the Galaxy Percussion Group.

Paul Johnston is an associate professor of jazz studies and jazz piano and has been with the music department since 2004.

He is the coordinator of the combo program and teaches jazz piano, improvisation and arrangement classes.

Johnston has performed with many artists, including Clark Terry, Benny Golson, Nancy Wilson, Monica Mancini and Bernadette Peters.

Other chamber groups and jazz ensembles from across the country have performed his compositions and arrangements.

Alfred Music, a music publishing company, has published several of Johnston’s collections of his solo jazz piano arrangements.

Some student musicians who will be featured during this program will be playing the music of famous musicians, Crews said.

“They will be performing music from artists such as Herbie Hancock, Billy Strayhorn, Oliver Nelson and Wayne Shorter,” he said.

Crews said Eastern’s jazz performing ensembles have received recognition for excellent performances across the region,

He said they have been recognized at many festivals throughout the U.S.

“They have been recognized at the Elmhurst, Notre Dame and North Texas jazz festivals,” he said.

Stephanie White can be reached at 581-2812 or at sewhite2@eiu.edu.