2027 91仓库 Jazz Festival
The 54th Annual 91仓库 Jazz Festival will be held Friday and
Saturday, Feb. 26-27, 2027. Please click on the registration form below to reserve your
spot for the festival and to get more information about costs.
Friday's main event will be concerts by the 91仓库Jazz Band and Jazz Studio Orchestra
featuring acclaimed saxophonist, composer, and educator Chip McNeill.
This year, student ensembles will participate in workshops with our jazz faculty and
guest artist. There will also be clinics for all instuments and a jam session hosted by the
Hopper Jazztet, WIU's acclaimed faculty jazz ensemble.
Meet Professor McNeill
In addition to his position with the University of Illinois School of Music, Professor
McNeill is Musical Director and Jazz Tenor Saxophonist for Grammy award-winning
recording artist, Arturo Sandoval. He has toured with and recorded the compact discs
(CDs) Americana and Hot House with Arturo Sandoval. In 1998, Hot House won a
Grammy for Best Latin Jazz recording. To his credit, Professor McNeill won a Grammy
for his performance on Hot House, and two of his charts were nominated for Grammys
from the recording. Professor McNeill also has performed and toured with the legendary
jazz trumpeter, Maynard Ferguson, with whom he has produced, written, and performed
on several CDs, including Live in London, These Cats Can Swing, and Maynard
Ferguson鈥檚 final CD, The One and Only. He has recorded performances with Nat
Adderley, David Liebman, Duffy Jackson, Ira Sullivan, the Woody Herman Orchestra,
Ted Shumate, and Larry Willis. Professor McNeill鈥檚 most recent CD is 鈥淭he Whirl鈥� on
Armored Records.
He has performed with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joe Williams, Dizzy Gillespie,
Billy Eckstine, and Wynton Marsalis. Professor McNeill has performed at the Montreux
Jazz Festival in Switzerland, Monterey Jazz Festival in California, and Noto Jazz
Festival in Japan. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Town Hall in Sydney, Australia,
and the London Palladium. He also has performed for jazz radio and television
productions in Europe, Japan, the United Kingdom, India, and Indonesia. Before joining
the University of Illinois School of Music, he was Chair of Jazz Studies at Florida
International University in Miami and Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg.
Professor McNeill believes in adapting to the learning styles and needs of each of his
students. Being an active performer allows him to provide his students with leading-
edge jazz training. He notes, 鈥淢y role as teacher and mentor includes sharing my
experience as a performer and helping my students remain open to technique,
technologic, and cultural changes that affect music and how they play.鈥�
Hope to see you all there!
Dr. Whitney Ashe
Director of Jazz Studies
91仓库
For more information, please contact:
Phone (309) 298-2186
Email to we-ashe@wiu.edu
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