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Jazz Combos Present Tribute to Duke Ellington
 Over the past month, students studied the work of jazz great Duke Ellington in preparation for the Milton Academy Jazz Combos concert on October 3 in King Theatre. Under the direction of music faculty member Bob Sinicrope, A Tribute to Duke Ellington proved to be one of the most diverse Milton jazz performances in terms of styles and presentation. Over 30 students presented selections that included big band versions of Take the A Train and Rockin’ In Rhythm; a solo piano of Duke’s first composition, Soda Fountain Rag; a brass quintet samba version of Satin Doll; vocal features on Love You Madly and Lush Life; a trio funk version of It Don’t Mean a Thing; and a specially commissioned arrangement of Duke Ellington tunes by former Tonight Show arranger Hal Crook.
Faculty Art Show Opens Saturday
 On Saturday, October 4, the Alpha Gallery on Newbury Street in Boston opened its doors to a solo exhibition by Milton visual arts faculty member, Anne Neely. Her first show in Boston in four years, Just the Elements: New Paintings is described by Anne as addressing "the ecological and ultimately cultural issues of our time as we fight over, transport, over use, pollute, dry up and neglect water."
"The little paintings are a clue to the big ones," says William Corbett in his essay about the show. "They tell the viewer that what Neely absorbed underwent the powerful compressing force of her imagination. Her big paintings are packed but have a lyrical flow. She is painting all of what her imagination has given her in a mosaic of earthy and ethereal colors. This show may be ‘just’ the elements but it achieves a powerful simultaneity of means and ends."
Just the Elements: New Paintings will be exhibited at the Alpha Gallery until October 29. For more information, call the gallery at 617-536-4465 or visit www.anneneely.com.
Ron Carter is Melissa Dilworth Gold Visiting Artist
 Ron Carter, world-renown saxophonist and jazz educator, visited Milton last week as the year’s first Melissa Dilworth Gold Visiting Artist. Mr. Carter is a professor and the coordinator of the Jazz Studies Program at Northern Illinois University’s School of Music. Having worked as a professional musician on saxophone, clarinet, flute, and as a vocalist, Mr. Carter is foremost an educator, with accolades including Down Beat Magazine’s Jazz Educator’s Hall of Fame, the Milken National Distinguished Educator Award, and the Excellence in Teaching Award from both Southern Illinois University and the St. Louis American newspaper. Mr. Carter is also the director of the celebrated NIU Jazz Ensemble. He was quoted in NIU’s magazine Northern Now saying, “I love music and I love teaching, so I’m able to combine two things together that I really enjoy and make a living doing it.”
On campus Wednesday, September 24 through Friday, September 26, Mr. Carter taught jazz classes during the day, conducted workshops in the evenings, and helped students prepare for this week’s concert that will feature the music of Duke Ellington.
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