BAMA THEATRE’S ACCOUSTIC NIGHT RETURNS // THE ROB ALLEY QUINTET AND JIL CHAMBLESS

The Bama Theatre’s Acoustic Night will return on Feb. 23, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. at the theatre’s Greensboro Room. The evening will feature “The Rob Alley Quintet presents An Alabama Songbook: Selections from Byron Arnold’s Folk Songs of Alabama, with special guest Jil Chambless.”

Exploring the timeless and universal qualities of folk songs collected by Byron Arnold in his legendary Folksongs of Alabama, award-winning trumpeter/composer/arranger Rob Alley breathes contemporary life into new arrangements in this project. Inspired by Alley’s love for both Bill Frisell and Dave Douglas’ music, these pieces are designed with maximum flexibility and ample room for improvisation from the quintet. Renowned vocalist Jil Chambless anchors the material with her unique interpretations of these beloved tunes. The quintet features Alley, Gary Wheat (tenor sax), Matthew DeVine (keyboards), Aaron Goldberg (acoustic bass) and Michael Glaser (drum set).

 Winner of both Alabama and Arkansas Individual Artist Fellowships (2013 and 2008, respectively), Rob Alley is one of the most in-demand and versatile musicians in the southeastern U.S. A successful bandleader, he leads a broad array of ensembles with widely varying styles, concepts and personnel. They include Mingusphere, Solid Sender, Brass X, The Rob Alley Trio, The Songbook Trio, The Alley-Glaser Duo and The Alabama Songbook. Since moving to Alabama in 2000, Alley has performed and/or recorded as a side man with a multitude of international artists from Yo-Yo Ma and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Jason Isbell (of The Drive-by Truckers) and Paul Shaffer (of “The Late Show” with David Letterman). With soul superstars The Temptations, The O’Jays and The Four Tops to jazz legends Patti Austin, Byron Stripling and Jon Faddis and Pop music icon Frankie Valli, he fits into any situation with ease.

 Regionally, Alley works free-lance in an even more diverse group of musical environments. The list ranges from classical (The Tuscaloosa Symphony and Brass Quintet, The Huntsville Symphony, The Arkansas Symphony, the Arkansas State University Faculty Brass Quintet, The University of Alabama Faculty Brass Quintet) and original jazz artists (The New South Jazz Orchestra, The Chad Fisher

Group, The Birmingham 7, The UA Faculty Jazz Quintet and The Night Flight Big Band) to Rock and Soul up and comers Downright, FisherGreen and Bonus Round for starters.

Alley holds a Master of Music (Suma Cum Laude) from The University of Alabama. In addition to free-lancing, he is currently a faculty member at The University of Alabama teaching in the Jazz Department and in The Honors College.

This performance is made possible by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

 Presented by The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa, Acoustic Night features both established and upcoming musicians from around the country throughout the calendar year in the intimate setting of the Bama Theatre’s Greensboro Room. Cover charge is $5 with a full service bar available.