The UMSL Jazz Ensemble, led by Director of Jazz Studies Jim Widner (right), will perform Nov. 8 at the Touhill.

Start your November off right with a concert by the University of Missouri–St. Louis Jazz Ensemble at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 in the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall at UMSL’s Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center. The concert is free and open to the public.

The 21-piece ensemble will perform several jazz standards, including music composed by Count Basie and Stan Kenton. The UMSL Jazz Ensemble has performed with many jazz greats, including Clark Terry, Peter Erskine, Buddy DeFranco, John Pizzarelli and Jon Faddis.

Jim Widner, director of jazz studies at UMSL, is the conductor of the Jazz Ensemble. He has performed in the Stan Kenton, Woody Herman and Glen Miller big bands and now oversees the Jim Widner Big Band.

The Touhill is on UMSL’s North Campus, 1 University Blvd. in St. Louis, Mo. 63121. The concert is sponsored by the Department of Music at UMSL.