The NJCU Jazz Ensemble welcomes you to an exciting evening of Big Band music for listeners of all ages! The concert will feature the Jazz Ensemble built by NJCU’s own jazz department, and will also feature our special guest, NJCU Alumnus (’03), and one of today’s most in-demand trumpeters, Freddie Hendrix. The music will span the full history of jazz and showcase music from the great groups of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Thad Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and many more. Under the direction of Nathan Eklund, the ensemble will deliver a powerful, dynamic evening you won’t forget!

Freddie Hendrix Biography:

Over the past two decades, the 3-time Grammy-winning, dynamic jazz trumpeter Freddie Hendrix has become one of the most in-demand trumpeters in jazz and beyond. Also an accomplished composer and educator, the Teaneck, NJ native’s skill and versatility have resulted in him working with a wide array of performers that include 3 Dizzy Gillespie Ensembles, the Christian McBride Big Band, the Roy Hargrove Big Band, Billy Harper Quintet, the Baylor Project, 2 Elio Villafranca Projects, Fred Wesley and the JB’s, the late great Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Alicia Keys amongst countless others. 

Freddie Hendrix is a graduate of the esteemed Jazz programs at William Paterson University and New Jersey City University. Obtaining both Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Jazz Studies and Performance, Hendrix also shares his knowledge and passion for music as an educator. Currently, he serves on occasion as a guest artist/clinician for Melissa Walker’s Jazz House Kids Jazz Program in Montclair, NJ, and substitute Ensemble Instructor at William Paterson University. Former professorship positions have been served on the faculty for the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford, CT, The New School in NYC, Princeton University, and Hanzehoge School Prins Claus Conservatorium in Groningen, The Netherlands. 

Freddie Hendrix’s expertise as a performer extends over 50 countries. He has a discography of over 100 recordings as a sideman, 2 live performances for former President Barack Obama at The White House in Washington, DC, and is well documented on multiple televised productions for the PBS, ABC, and CBS television corporations. 

Whether leading his own groups or lending his talents as a lead or section player in much larger ensembles, Freddie Hendrix continues to flourish as one of the most exciting trumpet voices on the music scene.