The legacy of jazz and big band swing comes alive in an evening celebration of the musical genre. The Coastal Carolina University Department of Music, in partnership with the Skipp Pearson Jazz Legacy Foundation, presents "Come Let Freedom Swing," a dual performance by the CCU Jazz Big Band and Carl Payne Big Band presented on Singleton Lawn East for one night only on Saturday, April 21, at 7:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

As one of the most renowned jazz acts in the state of South Carolina, the Carl Payne Big Band, headed by Carlton Payne Jr., was founded with the intent of educating the listening public and young, aspiring musicians in the genre of big band swing. Members include band directors, teachers, engineers, lawyers, law enforcement officers and high school and college students. Bandleader Payne is a retired Marine Corps trumpeter and combat veteran who studied at South Carolina State University and the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

The CCU Jazz Big Band, under the direction of Matthew White, associate professor in the Department of Music, includes a traditional big band instrumentation of the 1940s: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, drumset and piano.

The evening's performance kicks off a weeklong celebration of jazz music throughout the state of South Carolina, culminating on April 30 with International Jazz Day. Additional performances will take place April 21-30 in Columbia, Greenville, Charleston, Florence and Orangeburg. Details about those events can be found here or by calling 803-400-1879.

"International Jazz Week and performances during this week serve to preserve African American culture and jazz music as an educational tool and instrument for intercultural dialogue," said Amy Tully, associate professor of music and associate dean of the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts. "Furthermore, students and professional musicians in South Carolina embrace a living jazz culture on a state-wide stage, paying tribute to the jazz art form and its power to promote dialogue among cultures, embrace diversity, and deepen respect for human rights in all forms of expression."

The statewide initiative is consolidated by the Skipp Pearson Jazz Foundation, which upholds, preserves and promotes live jazz music as an art form through the presentation of public education programs and projects. International Jazz Day is a worldwide celebration of jazz music across numerous cultures sponsored by the United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This is the seventh global International Jazz Day celebration and the second annual event at CCU.

Singleton Lawn East is located between the Singleton building and the Lib Jackson Student Union. A campus map is available here.

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YouTube: Carl Payne Big Band during Live Art International Jazz Day 2017

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Note: This story was updated April 19, 2018, to reflect a location change.