Exeter, NH (September 5, 2008)—On Tuesday, September 9, 2008, 7:00 p.m., well-known local musicians from The Faculty Jazz Ensemble will perform in the Jim Howe Memorial Concert, paying tribute to renowned bassist and jazz creator, Jim Howe. The concert will be held at Phillips Exeter Academy, inside Phillips Church, located on the corner of Tan Lane and Front Street. The event is free and open to the public.

Performers will include Les Harris, drums; Ryan Parker, piano; Charles Jennison, saxophone; and Marty Ballou, bass. This quartet was among several dozen national and international musicians who performed last year at PEA, commemorating Howe’s life and musical accomplishments.

Serving as a stand-in performer with jazz greats Herb Pomeroy, Dave McKenna and John LaPorta, Harris studied drums as a youngster with his father, jazz drummer Les Harris, Sr., and earned a music degree from Berklee in 1983. From 1983–95, Harris was the drummer with the jazz vocal group The Ritz, performing at a variety of jazz clubs and music festivals throughout the Seacoast area and the United States, Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. He has toured and performed with: the Artie Shaw Orchestra; Diana Krall’s Trio at The Boston Harbor Hotel; the Tommy Gallant Trio; and the late bassist Jim Howe’s Trio. Over the years, Harris has played with some of the best-known artists in jazz, including Clark Terry, Milt Jackson and Phil Woods. Currently, he is performing with The Kings of Strings, The New Guitar Summit, and the Paul Broadnax Trio. He serves on the music faculty of the University of New Hampshire, the University of Southern Maine, PEA, and Amesbury Middle School.

Parker is a pianist, recording artist, and educator who performs regularly as a leader and sideman in the New England area with such artists as: Gray Sargent; Les Harris, Jr.; Herb Pomeroy; and Dick Johnson. He performs and records regularly, most notably with the Jim Howe Trio, based in the New Hampshire Seacoast area. In 2001, Parker was noted for becoming the youngest recipient of an Artists Grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts. Parker teaches improvisation, jazz piano and stage band at PEA. He earned his master’s degree from the New England Conservatory and his bachelor’s from the University of New Hampshire.

Multi-instrumentalist Jennison began his jazz career in 1961, playing at rotary clubs and at other local functions while still in junior high school. While attending the University of New Hampshire, he formed a jazz combo, graduating in 1961 with a degree in Music Education. He studied with a variety of major jazz figures, including Jerry Bergonzi and Charlie Mariano. He has performed with notable jazz musicians Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy DeFranco and Alan Dawson. Jennison serves as PEA’s director of stage band and as an instructor in saxophone.

As a bassist, Ballou began his career performing worldwide with the vocal jazz group The Ritz, appearing in festivals and concerts in Europe, Asia and the United States. He continued performing on the road when he joined the Duke Robillards Band and performed in Australia, Turkey, Greece, South America and the United States. He has recorded with such jazz and blues legends as Jimmy Witherspoon, Jay McShann and Stony Plain. Since 1998, Ballou has served as a regular session man, performing on recordings in all genres—jazz, blues, folk and pop. In 2002, he joined blues great John Hammonds’ Wicked Grin Band.

Memorialized Howe, the co-founder of the Tommy Gallant Trio, and creator and director of “Sunday Night Jazz,” a live, musical “jam” session held at the Press Room in Portsmouth, NH, was an instructor of music at the University of New Hampshire, the University of Southern Maine and PEA. Throughout the years, he performed and recorded with many well-known national jazz artists who visited the Seacoast area.

For further information, please call the music department at (603) 777-3453 or visit its webpage for a complete list of upcoming events at the Musical Performances calendar page. You may also call the PEA public events line at (603) 777-4309. Directions to the Academy are available at (603) 777-4330.