Event Description
Three-time Grammy Award-winning drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. will make his Penn State debut with a high-octane big band featuring the top emerging artists in jazz.
The charismatic artist’s playlists are opportunities for improvised solos, lush arrangements, and energetic performances in the spirit of the great big-band drummers. The artists perform original compositions, as well as fresh arrangements of tunes from leading American jazz artists such as trumpeter Terence Blanchard, saxophonist John Coltrane, and pianist Mulgrew Miller.
Owens has performed on Grammy Award-winning albums by Kurt Elling and The Christian McBride Big Band. In 2023, he received his third Grammy for his work on an album featuring Steven Feiftke, Bijon Watson, and the Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra.
Owens’ eighth and recent release, A New Beat, features his Generation Y Band and inspired a viral cover of Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box.”
“Everything else that I’ve done before was really more about my own artistic desires.” the American jazz drummer says in an interview with AllAboutJazz.com. “This big band was all for the people. It’s for the amazing next generation.”
Artist Website
Watch the Ulysses Owens Jr. Big Band perform “Two Bass Hit.”
Event Details
This event has already occurred.
Ulysses Owens Jr. Big Band
Adult $52
University Park Student $14
18 and Younger $19
Ticket prices are inclusive of fees and taxes. Save $4 per ticket when ordering by phone at 814-863-0255 or in person at the Arts Ticket Center.