Internationally Acclaimed Saxophonist Walt Weiskopf Headlining the Third Annual A-Town Jazz Festival

Internationally renowned jazz saxophonist-composer Walt Weiskopf, best known as the sax player in the band Steely Dan, will headline the Third Annual A-Town Jazz Festival February 9 at Arlington Center for the Arts. The festival is hosted by local jazz artist Dan Fox, director of Morningside Music Studios, a music school specializing in student jazz combos.

Walt Weiskopf will open the festival with a jazz workshop beginning at 4 PM and will close the event with a sextet featuring his original  compositions. A dynamic player and acclaimed composer, Weiskopf began his career with the Buddy Rich Band and went on to perform and record with Frank Sinatra, jazz pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi, and Steve Smith's Jazz Legacy. Now a faculty member at Temple University in Philadelphia, Weiskopf has been in Steely Dan since 2003 and has written six books on jazz improvisation.

Boston-based Dan Fox is a musician and educator who primarily performs on trombone and bass guitar. He has performed at the Newport Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, and Boston Globe Jazz Festival and recently was a featured soloist at the Mallorca Jazz Festival in Spain. He leads his own bands Made in the Shade and 'TarBone and has performed a wide range of jazz styles with groups like the New Black Eagle Jazz Band, the Cab Calloway Orchestra, and the Either/Orchestra. His Morningside Music Studio, located in Arlington, gives students of all levels the opportunity to play in weekly jazz ensembles.

"I am very excited about this year's festival," says Fox. "To have an internationally known jazz musician of Walt's caliber will be amazing. We will transform the ACA theatre into a jazz club setting complete with table seating and lighting."

Arlington Center for the Arts is located at 41 Foster Street in Arlington. General admission to the festival is $15. Admission for students and seniors is $10 and children under 12 will be admitted for $5. Food and beverages will be available. The center is handicapped-accessible and has free parking.

The Third Annual A-Town Jazz festival schedule is as follows. All events take place at the Arlington Center for the Arts on February 9.

Jazz Workshop with Walt Weiskopf, 4 to 4:45. An expert teacher and clinician, Walt with share his wisdom on improv and have advice for players of all levels.

Morningside Music Studio Jazz Combos, 4:50 to 5:50. Performances by student groups led by Dan Fox.

Roy Scott Big Band, 6 to 6:45. Hailing from Sharon, Massachusetts, this ensemble performs a wide array of styles from hits of the swing era to arrangements of popular tunes. The band will play with Walt Weiskopf on some of his original compositions.

Sextet featuring Walt Weiskopf, 7 to 8. Joining Walt will be Dan Fox on trombone, Barry Lit on drums, Shannon LeClaire on alto sax, John Lockwood on bass, and Tim Ray on piano.

Advance tickets for the Third Annual A-Town Jazz Festival may be purchased online at Brown Paper Tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com. For more information, visit www.morningsidemusicstudio.com or call 617-909-7776.