NVCC instructor, venerable jazz guitarist, begins European tour after Woodbury show Jan. 14

Joe Beck, an NVCC music instructor and jazz guitarist who has played with greats like Miles Davis, will leave on a 10-city European tour after a Jan. 14 performance in his hometown of Woodbury.

WATERBURY (Jan. 9, 2007) — Joe Beck — an adjunct professor at Naugatuck Valley Community College who has played jazz guitar for more than 50 years and performed with greats like Miles Davis — begins a 10-city European tour after a Jan. 14 performance in his hometown of Woodbury.

Beck, who has been recording since 1963 and produced more than 25 albums of his own, will perform as part of a trio on Sunday, Jan. 14, at the First Congregational Church on Main Street in Woodbury. He will play with Santi Debriano on bass and Thierry Arpino on drums. Tickets are $25 at the door.

Five days later, on Jan. 19, he begins a 10-day European tour that includes six cities in Germany, three cities in Austria and Zurich, Switzerland. He will tour Europe with John Abercrombie, a respected jazz guitarist who combines evolving technologies with a tradition of jazz standards.

Beck has been an instructor at NVCC for four years, teaching every semester around his touring schedule. In addition to giving private lessons at NVCC, Beck is currently teaching “Guitar Ensemble,” a $45 course that begins later this month and includes jazz and rock music. For information on the course, call (203) 575-8029 or visit www.nvcc.commnet.edu.

Over the course of his illustrious 55-year career, Beck has recorded with an impressive array of artists, including Duke Ellington, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman and James Brown.

Beck has been composing music for television and film for 30 years and the National Academy of Recording Arts And Sciences has honored him five times with their “Most Valuable Player Award.” He has also recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, the Milan Philharmonic in Italy, and The Paris String Ensemble in France.

Located off exit 18 on Interstate 84, NVCC has one of the most comprehensive two-year music programs in the state. It is the only two-year college in Connecticut that offers a complete course catalog for a music major, including four semesters of music theory, four semesters of ear training, conducting, chorus, gospel choir, concert band, jazz ensemble and guitar ensemble.

In June, NVCC and Western Connecticut State University in Danbury became the first two public schools in Connecticut to announce an agreement that made it possible for music students at NVCC to transfer all their credits to the WestConn music education program to complete a bachelor’s degree without losing any credits.