Stephen F. Austin State University

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - East Texans interested in hearing one of the newest sounds in jazz can attend a free concert by the Gabriel Alegria Afro Peruvian Jazz Group at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, in Cole Concert Hall on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus in Nacogdoches.

The group's founder, Gabriel Alegria, is one of the most important contemporary figures of the jazz music scene in Latin America, said Gary Wurtz, director of SFA's Swingin' Axes jazz band.

Alegria was born in Lima, Perú, in 1970 into a well-known, creative family. His grandfather, Ciro, was Perú's most famous novelist, and his father, Alonso, is Perú's most acclaimed playwright.

After receiving his master's degree in jazz music in New York City, Alegria combined his personal approach to the trumpet with a passionate interest in the music of black coastal Perú and started working on a uniquely Afro-Peruvian jazz music concept. In 2000 he founded La Associación Internacional Jazz Perú, Perú's premier jazz arts and education organization.

In 2002, AIJP Records' release of "Un Rezo" placed many of the Afro-Peruvian rhythmic concepts solidly into the mainstream jazz language for the first time.

And according to Alegria's Web site, "Much like the popularity achieved by Brazilian and Afro-Cuban music when it first came to the United States, many believe that the Afro-Peruvian sound is the latest and most refreshing sound to come to the jazz world."

Several SFA offices combined efforts to bring the ensemble to campus.

Dr. Ann Doyle-Anderson, chair of the Department of Modern Languages, said when she first learned from one of her faculty members that Alegria might be able to perform in Nacogdoches, she contacted Wurtz to see if the School of Music could help.

"Dr. Anderson, director of the School of Music, readily agreed, and we also gained support from the College of Fine Arts, the College of Liberal and Applied Arts, the Office of International Studies and Programs and the Multicultural Center," said Wurtz. "This is truly an interdisciplinary effort."

For more information on Gabriel Alegria, please visit his Web site, www.gabrielalegria.com.