Alumnus Allen, event founder Ives to be featured at Jazz Fest XLV

An accomplished UW-Green Bay alumnus will be the featured guest for Jazz Fest XLV, to be held Saturday, Feb. 7 on campus. Carl Allen is a noted jazz drummer who has performed with the likes of Sammy Davis Jr. and Branford Marsalis. A dedicated educator who has more than 200 recordings to his credit, Allen co-founded Big Apple Productions in 1988 and has produced recordings for notable artists and several Japanese labels. He will be joined during the Jazz Fest public concert — 4 p.m. in the Weidner Center’s Cofrin Family Hall — by a special group of UW-Green Bay all-star jazz alumni, directed by Jazz Fest founder Lovell Ives, as well as the University’s Jazz Ensemble. Six high schools from across Wisconsin will take part in the daylong educational and performance event. Our news release has additional information.