UW Department of Music Faculty Jazz Trio to Perform Nov. 17

Three University of Wyoming Department of Music jazz studies faculty members will perform original compositions and reimagined standards Sunday, Nov. 17.

Assistant Professor Ben Markley, piano; Lecturer Gonzalo Teppa, double bass; and Assistant Professor Andy Wheelock, percussion, will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts recital hall. The concert is free and open to the public.

Markley is the director of Jazz Studies, teaches applied jazz piano and improvisation, and is the director of the UW Jazz Festival. Markley has performed with well-known jazz musicians Brian Lynch, Eddie Henderson, Terell Stafford, George Garzone and John Fedchock.

Markley's latest recording is the critically acclaimed jazz CD, “Clockwise: The Music of Cedar Walton.” Markley, along with guest trumpeter Stafford, celebrates one of the more influential and beloved figures in jazz, displaying many of the late pianist and composer Walton's most revered tunes through new arrangements for big bands. The album received critical acclaim and was selected as one of the best four-star rated albums of 2017 by DownBeat magazine.

Markley is an active composer and arranger with many big band and vocal jazz charts. He is an active performer in the Denver metropolitan area and along the Front Range. He can be seen regularly in Fort Collins as part of the Subterranean jazz trio at Ace Gillett's Lounge.

Teppa is a classically trained musician who has played with various national and international orchestras, including the Symphony Orchestra of the State of Lara and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra.

As an active composer, Teppa has five CDs to his credit, in which he blended elements of Venezuelan music with different cultural and stylistic influences of the world. He also actively performs Venezuelan music with other artists and participates in prestigious jazz festivals. He has played alongside numerous musicians including Wynton Marsalis and Slide Hampton.

Wheelock directs UW’s percussion ensemble and jazz band II. His passion for Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music inspired the creation of his latest project, Clave Camaradas, a high-energy Latin jazz ensemble. Wheelock plays a combination of traditional Cuban and Brazilian percussion instruments along with the drumset.

He has performed with well-known musicians Chuchito Valdés, Tito Carrillo, Jim Pugh, Chip Stephens, Larry Gray, Chip McNeil, Rob Smith and Bill Sears.

For more information, call Markley at (307) 766-5222 or email bmarkely@uwyo.edu.