UH-Hilo Jazz Orchestra to Present ‘Frank Zappa 3’

One of the most anticipated in-house performances of the entire semester at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo’s Performing Arts Center has neared, and this time, an extra night has been added to accommodate previously sold out crowds.

For two nights, students from the UH-Hilo music department will jump on stage to perform the UH-Hilo Jazz Orchestra’s third annual tribute to Frank Zappa, “Frank Zappa 3.”

The performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 9 and Thursday, Dec. 10.

“Zappa’s music can be very difficult to play and students in the band rise to the challenge, putting in countless practice hours in order to play this stuff correctly,” said Musical Director Trever Veilleux. “I think that when people see this show they will be genuinely surprised by the musicianship and performance skills of these young musicians. It’s an incredible thing to witness.”

Song performances will include a variety of career points in Zappa’s life, with an emphasis on albums from the 1970’s, such as Joe’s Garage, Apostrophe’, and One Size Fits All.

“We have been very fortunate to have seen our audience grow over the past several years.  Our concerts have been selling out and we are very excited that for the first time we get to do two shows in order to accommodate a larger audience,” Veileux said. “I think someone coming to see one of our concerts for the first time will notice that we put a lot of effort into putting on a fun and entertaining show.  What you will see is more akin to a rock concert then a typical university jazz band recital.”

Special guest and former Saturday Night Live musical director Cheryl “Quack” Moore will sit in on piano.

In addition, Justin Chittams, a Jazz Orchestra alumni and member of Medicine for the People will also take the stage to perform, while St. Joseph School’s band director Randy Skaggs and UH-Hilo drama professor Jackie Pualani Johnson have something up their sleeve.

“Zappa used to employ virtuosic musicians and singers and wrote music that allowed them to stretch out and show off their skills,” said Veilleux. “This makes the music very fun to play for the band and fun to watch for the audience.  He also would often write for very large ensembles and uncommon instruments for jazz and rock like marimba or electric violin.  These qualities make the music ideally suited for the 25 piece Jazz Orchestra.”

Both shows will feature open seating.

Admission is $10 for general, $5 for seniors, students and children.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 932-7490 or visiting the UH-Hilo Performing Arts Center website.