Annual Stan Wheeler memorial concert planned

In tribute to a former professor and jazz musician, the seventh annual Stan Wheeler Memorial Concert will take place on Sunday, April 6. The concert honors the late Stanton Wheeler, a Yale law school professor and sociologist whose work shaped the academic field of sociology of law, who died in 2007.

Presented by Yale Law School and Yale University Bands, the concert is at 2 p.m. in Levinson Auditorium, Yale Law School, 127 Wall St. It will feature the Yale Jazz Ensemble, directed by Thomas C. Duffy, and the Reunion Jazz Ensemble. Admission is free and no tickets are required. Call 203-432-4113 or visit the Yale Bands website for more information.

Reunion is a group of Yale alumni who, along with Professor Wheeler, a trumpeter, were early members of the jazz scene at Yale in the 1970s. Professor Wheeler continued to play with the Yale Jazz Ensemble until his death, and this is the seventh annual concert dedicated to his memory. Reunion members include well-known jazz artists Bob Kolb (alto sax), Paul Lieberman (tenor sax and flute), Gary Bennett (baritone sax), Steve Perrett (trumpet), Tony Lombardozzi (guitar), Jeff Fuller (bass), Paul Sullivan (piano), and Bob D’Angelo (drums).

The Yale Jazz Ensemble portion of the program will feature music by and with special guest and Reunion member Paul Lieberman on saxophone and flute.

The Yale Jazz Ensemble is a 17-piece big band that performs a wide variety of music, from Yale’s Benny Goodman archive to the newest and most progressive jazz compositions. The ensemble has performed extensively in the United States and internationally at such noted venues as New York’s Village Vanguard and Iridium jazz clubs, and London’s Ronnie Scott’s. The Yale Jazz Ensemble has performed with or opened for The Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, the Toshiko Akiyoshi/Lew Tabackin Big Band, the World Saxophone Quartet, Jane Ira Bloom, Jimmy Owens, and Branford Marsalis.