Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, with Guest Ricky Ford, to perform music by Duke Ellington and Mark Harvey

Called “stunningly beautiful and adventurous” (New York City Jazz Record), and hailed as “one of the best jazz ensembles in the world” (Jazz Podium, Germany), The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra welcomes tenor saxophonist Ricky Ford as special guest in a Duke Ellington birthday celebration on MIT’s mainstage, Kresge Auditorium.   Ford has played with the Ellington Orchestra under Mercer Ellington, and with Charles Mingus, Lionel Hampton, Abdullah Ibrahim, and other jazz luminaries. He recorded 21 albums as bandleader, and appears on recordings with Yusef Lateef, Sonny Stitt, McCoy Tyner, Freddie Hubbard, and Steve Lacy, to name a few.

The April 6 show will celebrate the 120^th birthday of Duke Ellington (1899-1974) with music by the maestro including Chinoiserie and Praise God and Dance (from the Second Sacred Concert). Also on the program:  the premiere of music director Mark Harvey’s latest work entitled Of the People, together with other Mark Harvey originals, including No Walls, Aardvark’s anthem of hope and inclusivity.  Founded in 1973, Aardvark has premiered more than 175 works and appears on 15 CDs, including 9 discs on the Leo Records label.  Aardvark is: Arni Cheatham, Peter H. Bloom, Phil Scarff, Chris Rakowski, Dan Zupan/saxes and woodwinds; K.C. Dunbar, Jeanne Snodgrass/trumpets; Bob Pilkington, Jay Keyser/trombones; Jeff Marsanskis, Bill Lowe/bass trombones, tuba; Richard Nelson/guitar; John Funkhouser/string bass; Harry Wellott/drums; Jerry Edwards and Grace Hughes, vocalists; Mark Harvey/piano, music director.  Aardvark is managed by Americas Musicworks.