Every year since 2006, acclaimed bassist and Coastal Carolina University artist-in-residence Steve Bailey has pushed his limits just a little bit further; as a jazz musician, that's the proper thing to do.

Bailey will take the stage Friday, Nov. 30, at 7:30 p.m. in Wheelwright Auditorium for his annual concert, this year with special guests Victor Wooten, also on bass, and Gregg Bissonette on drums. Matt White and Tim Fischer, assistant professors in CCU's Department of Music, round out the ensemble for an evening of high-energy jazz. Tickets are $25, with CCU discounts available.

Bailey, a Myrtle Beach native, is noted for his pioneering work with the six-string fretless bass; he was voted Bass Player of the Year runner-up by Bass Player Magazine in 1994 and 1996 and has performed or toured with such bands as Jethro Tull, Willie Nelson, Dizzy Gillespie, and the Rippingtons. He partnered with Wooten in the group Bass Extremes for more than two decades and serves as chair of the bass department at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He organized the first "Pushing the Limits" concert in 2006 and has kept the annual event going ever since.

Five-time Grammy winner Wooten is a composer, author, producer, and educator in addition to a musician having been named "Bass Player of the Year" by Bass Player magazine three times and listed as No. 10 in Rolling Stone's list of "Top 10 Bassists of All Time." Wooten has been bassist for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones since the group's formation in 1988. Wooten operates Vix Records, on which he releases his music, and is performance scholar-in-residence at the Berklee College of Music.

Bissonette's versatility on the drums is reflected in his experience with big band, blues, rock, Latin, fusion and many other music genres. Bissonette has recorded and toured with Toto, Ringo Starr, and Don Henley and played on Santana's multi-platinum album Supernatural (1999), which won eight Grammy awards. He also performed on soundtracks including Spinal Tap, The Devil Wears Prada, Best in Show and Endless Summer II.

Bailey described the unlikely beginning of the Bailey/Wooten/Bissonette trio, which dates back more than two decades.

"We got together in the early '90s, shortly after I met Vic, to make an album that was also instructional," said Bailey. "My publisher said it wouldn't work (two bassists together), but agreed to do it with a very, very small budget. It was one of the biggest-selling listening/instructional products that Warner Brothers ever released. This led to more albums and more tours."

"So, some new music will be sprinkled in with our usual diverse repertoire," said Bailey. "There will also be a lot of improvising, funky and swinging beats, and jazz and rock standards. Matt White will also debut the Big Band version of our popular song 'Not at 3.' This is a rare chance to see and hear three veterans of the music business who have built successful careers playing virtually every style of music."

The performance also features world-premiere selections from the CCU Jazz Ensemble, directed by White.

General admission is $25. Senior citizens, OLLI members, CCU alumni and teens may purchase tickets for $20, CCU/HGTC faculty and staff tickets are $16 and CCU/HGTC students and children's tickets are $5. To reserve a ticket, call the box office at 843-349-ARTS (2787) or visit during open hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday through Friday.

Wheelwright Auditorium is located at 108 Spadoni Park Circle, Conway. To purchase a ticket, call the box office at 843-349-ARTS (2787) or visit the box office between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information about the Department of Music at CCU, visit coastal.edu/music. More cultural arts events and ticket information is at coastal.edu/culturalarts.