Georgia Scott Day at ABAC | Community Spirit

TIFTON, GA – It’s that time of the year again, Georgia Scott Day will be Thursday, April 19.

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will celebrate with its 34th annual ABAC Jazz Festival.

Festivities will begin at 10:25 a.m. at The Meadows on the ABAC campus with free performances from high school jazz bands from throughout the state.

Tift County kicks off the day at 10:25 a.m. followed by Lee County at 10:50 a.m., Ware County  at 11:15 a.m., Valdosta at 11:40 a.m., Lowndes at 12:30 p.m., Americus-Sumter at 12:55 p.m., Thomas County Central at 1:20 p.m., Lanier County at 1:45 p.m., Colquitt County at 2:10 p.m., Henry County at 2:35 p.m., Riverdale at 3 p.m., and the ABAC Jazz Choir at 3:25 p.m.   A Jazz Clinic with professional jazz trombonist Harry Watters will be held at 4:15 p.m. in Bowen Hall, Room 100 following the performances.

Here is the news release from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College

George Scott Day, an annual Celebration of the Arts, and the 34th annual ABAC Jazz Festival will take place on April 19 on the campus of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

The event, sponsored by the ABAC School of Liberal Arts and the ABAC Arts Connection, is held each year as a tribute to George Scott, an associate professor of English at ABAC, who passed away in 1994. 

Activities begin at 10:25 a.m. at The Meadows on the ABAC campus, with free performances from high school jazz bands from throughout the state.

Tift County kicks off the day at 10:25 a.m. followed by Lee County at 10:50 a.m., Ware County  at 11:15 a.m., Valdosta at 11:40 a.m., Lowndes at 12:30 p.m., Americus-Sumter at 12:55 p.m., Thomas County Central at 1:20 p.m., Lanier County at 1:45 p.m., Colquitt County at 2:10 p.m., Henry County at 2:35 p.m., Riverdale at 3 p.m., and the ABAC Jazz Choir at 3:25 p.m.   

A Jazz Clinic with professional jazz trombonist Harry Watters will be held at 4:15 p.m. in Bowen Hall, Room 100 following the performances.

In addition to the jazz band performances, there will be giveaways, spotlights on club activities, art displays, and great food. 

Spectators can bring their own lunch or just come andten to the music. In the event of rain, the Jazz Festival will take place in the Driggers Lecture Hall/Chapel of All Faiths.

The “Pegasus” literary magazine from ABAC will host a reception in the music building from 10:30 -11 a.m.

Following this event, the “Pegasus” will hold its Poetry and Prose awards ceremony from 11 – 11:30 a.m. featuring ABAC faculty from the School of Liberal Arts.

Some selected works will also be read during the ceremony. From 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., an ABAC art exhibit will be on display at The Meadows, and in Bowen Hall room 221, featuring artwork from ABAC students.

To culminate the Jazz Festival, the ABAC Jazz Ensemble will perform with Watters in Howard Auditorium at 7 p.m.   

All tickets have been sold for this event, which is the final one in the “ABAC Presents!” series from the Arts Connection.  All proceeds benefit the Eugene Wyles Music Scholarship Fund.

The international acclaimed ABAC Jazz Ensemble was featured in concert at the National Jazz Educators Network National Conference in St. Louis and twice at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and the Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland.

Watters has performed and recorded with a long list of distinguished artists, including Al Hirt, Pete Fountain, Peter Nero, Carl Fontana, and James Moody. 

He has also appeared as a featured soloist with bands and orchestras around the world.  He serves with the United States Army Band in Washington, D.C. and teaches trombone at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.

For additional information on this event, interested persons can call the ABAC music program office at (229) 391-4945.