Get ready for some jazz in the afternoon, on Sunday, Aug. 21 at 3 p.m. at the Pell City Public Library. The library proudly presents jazz duo, Ray Reach and Dave Amaral in a concert of crowd-pleasing favorites, which includes lively instrumentals and smooth vocals.  The program on Sunday is planned in connection with the library’s Adult Summer Reading series, Novel Destinations, and everyone is invited to attend this free event.

Expect a terrific performance from these two talented musicians. Each is experienced and acclaimed for their musical excellence, and when they come together, it is pure dynamite!  

Ray Reach is the Director of Student Jazz Programs for the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.  He has held this position since 2005, which he does, in addition to directing two orchestras:  the Magic City Jazz Orchestra—a recording and concert group, and the Ray Reach Orchestra—a dance band in the tradition of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and the Count Basie Orchestra.  He has been active in jazz education since the early 1970s, teaching jazz courses, computer music courses, and workshops at various colleges including Birmingham-Southern College, the University of Montevallo, the University of Alabama, the University of North Texas and many others.   He instructed jazz and music technology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, acting as director of the UAB Jazz Ensemble from 1998 to 2005.  Reach is a faculty member for the W.C. Handy Jazz Camp, is a regular featured performer at the W.C. Handy Music Festival, and a member of the W. C. Handy Jazz All-Stars.  He directs the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame Student All-Star Band and the “Fun with Jazz” Educational Program.  The “Fun With Jazz” Educational Program was begun by the Alys Stephens Center for the Performing Arts and is now offered through the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.

Mr. Reach has produced and/or recorded and performed with musical greats, trumpeter, Dizzy Gillespie, Mike Williams (lead trumpeter for the Count Basie Orchestra), Al Jarreau, Natalie Cole, saxophonist “Blue Lou” Marini, pianist Ellis Marsalis, Count Basie bassist Cleveland Eaton, the Lawrence Welk Orchestra, and many, many others.  He is a pianist, vocalist and accomplished guitarist, arranger, composer, conductor, and music producer.  He has composed, arranged and performed in various music genres, but is best known for his work in jazz.  He began playing piano at the age of 6, studying under Giula Williams of E. E. Forbes and Sons Piano Company in Birmingham.  He also studied piano with Carolyn Pfau and Hugh Thomas at the Birmingham Conservatory of Music.  He attended Birmingham Southern College, the University of Montevallo and the University of Alabama.  At Birmingham  Southern he studied voice with the renowned New York City Opera baritone, Andrew Gainey, and studied piano with Sam Howard of the Concert piano duo, Hodgens and Howard.  While at the University of Alabama, he served as graduate assistant to noted jazz educator, Steve Sample, Sr., and directed the award winning Jazz Ensemble B. While at the University of Alabama, he was presented with the Raymond Hubbell Musical Scholarship by ASCAP, for his contributions to Jazz and popular music in America.

Reach will be joined by gifted musician, Dave Amaral, at the Pell City Library performance.   Amaral  has performed professionally on keyboards, saxophone, clarinet, flute, and performed vocals for over thirty years.  He has performed with many symphony orchestras, including but not limited to the Tampa Philharmonic and the Florida West Coast Symphony Orchestra; big bands, including (but not limited to) Super Jazz, Dave Matthews Band, Cleve Eaton Orchestra, Tommy Stewart’s Jazz Masters Big Band; and in various pit orchestras, community bands, pop and jazz groups, stage concerts, recording studios and on television.

He studied music with J.C. Cafara, Walter Hegner, Ted Hegvick, Tony and Ann Swain, and David Webber.  He attended the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and the University of South Florida. Amaral has taught music privately, and as a clinician at the New College Music Festival in Sarasota.  He as also taught as an adjunct Professor of Saxophone Studies at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.

Reach and Amaral come together for a stellar performance in jazz at the Pell City Library on Sunday at 3 p.m.  It will be a performance that you will not want to miss.  It is free and open to the public.  

This event is the finale to the library’s Adult Summer Reading Program.  Participants in the reading portion of the program are reminded to bring along their reading logs for the final drawing for prizes, and the presentation of reading awards, all generously provided by local businesses, the Pell City Library and the Pell City Library Guild.  Light refreshments will be served following the program.  Get out of the heat, and join the fun!